My New Life as an American Teenager
by TsunaMoshi
Summary: The second installment of the ITLOF (In the Life of Friends) series... -After Tsuna saves the world from total destruction, his life brings him to Solon, Ohio, USA to start a new life. Little does he know what is really in store for him. Written in first person (Tsuna's POV). I am really dragging this on but I have amazing ideas, so bear with me! (I think I'm keeping the name)
1. To Sum it All Up

A/N: To continue with the story line, Tsuna, KT and Ty are now living in America. Solon, Ohio, to be exact. After all that went down in Namimori, TC decided it would be best if Tsuna and KT left to live somewhere else. Ty decided to tag along too. He didn't want to lose a perfect test subject! Now they're living a life where they aren't hiding, but they're a lot safer due to the Americans being completely oblivious to everything. :D It's true, and you know it. I am guilty of this all the time. So any-who...I decided to write this in FIRST PERSON because I can convey Tsuna's thoughts better! More commentary, you know? So, I hope this isn't as bad as the last book...my writing style is a little off, but at least I'm trying. I'll make sure to NOT let TC help me write a lot of the chapters, because they're the ones with all the cussing and very drawn out stupidity. There are a few things I've already written that he's helped me with, so bear with them. They're not so much. OH, and later on, there's a bit of yaoi, so those of you who used to love me until you read this, I'm sorry. But I had to. Let me rephrase that, I didn't HAVE to I WANTED to...besides, I needed a little more diversity to make up for all the racial and quite offensive stuff TC came up with. I still love you, no matter what. :) So without further hesitation, the story of Tsuna's life continues...

-Okay, so _italics _are a narration by Tsuna, normal font is normal story, Tsuna's thoughts are still in ~thoughts~ format and Tsune is still ~"speech"~...everything else is pretty much the same...-

**Chapter 1: To Sum it All Up**

_ The story of my American life starts right here, in the small town of Solon, Ohio. I don't exactly recall what all happened after the battle with CT ended. I had very faint consciousness then. I remember waking up in a compact room, but I blacked out again because I was told I was on an airplane. I hadn't caught where to. So, when I awoke again, we were in America. Ohio, USA. Ty was with us, too. I didn't quite ask why. TC told me that we would be safer here due to the fact that his firsthand experience with Americans was "They're slow." I've learned to agree. I can't complain that it's all that bad, because it's not. I realized how much I was missing due to the strict rules of living in Japan all my life. Americans aren't as disciplined; they only go to school for 180 days before they're out for three months. They take __**so **__many holidays in between, most of which are only school related. _

_ TC gave me the option of starting a new life; a new name, a new look. I turned him down. I told him, "I'm going to live like I would be if I were still in Namimori: myself."_

_He didn't press the matter on me. KT kept her name, but took the chance to change up her look a bit. Not that it's all that surprising. Ty changed his name to Tyler. I never asked what his original name was; I think he was too embarrassed by it to tell me anyway. His parents were American; they were Military personnel stationed in Japan. I guess they never actually learned enough Japanese when he was born to know how to name him correctly. Whatever the case, his name now sounds pretty American. Ah, the word "American." I don't use it in a bad sense, not at all. There are no simpler terms to describe the people who live in the United States, and I'm pretty sure that "American" holds as much pride as "Liberty" does. _

"Hey, Tsuna..."

I lifted my head from the couch pillow to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Did you want anything at the store?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"Okay…Well, I should be home in a little while, then."

I remained silent, and she stood in the room, lingering. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, I'm _great_."

"You're a terrible liar."

I looked at her out of the corners of my eyes. "I'm homesick."

She smiled slightly. "I figured."

"Then why did you ask?"

I looked at her fully and incredulously. She shrugged. "I just like to hear you admit things."

"Thanks, KT…" I flopped back in to the couch, which was much too comfortable at that moment.

"You'll be fine, Tsuna…We've only been here two months. It _will_ take time to adjust."

"Yeah, I know…Still…"

She opened the front door. "You'll see…"

_Living in Ohio isn't __**so **__hard. Fitting in is just the same as in Japan. There are those who don't care, and those who watch your every move wondering how you'll mess up next. That's alright, though. Ty taught me a valuable lesson throughout my school years: Don't show weakness. TC also reiterated this through my training, as well as "hesitation leads to destruction." I think my personal motto could be "weakness is hesitation, which ultimately leads to destruction." Sums it up pretty well, right? _


	2. Learning to Drive

**Chapter 2: Learning to Drive**

_Living in the part of Japan I did, having a car was a luxury. Sure, Japan __**makes**__ all sorts of cars, but the areas outside of cities were small and unable to support car traffic. Here in America, cars have changed the face of the country over the centuries. Roads were built and paved to compensate for the damaging effects of the dirt and gravel, for it would cause wear and tear on the precious vehicles that the inhabitants of this great country use for survival. Industry was spurred and inventions came about to make a mark on the place I now call home. Well, because of all this, I decided that I wanted to get my driver's license. In reality, I had to pass an exam beforehand that would give me a plastic card I could use to practice driving with until a six month period was up, and I could go back and take a test in my car with a facilitator to determine whether I was ready or not._

_There are a few things I should warn you about before you decide to get your license: never trust your surroundings, there ARE zombies in purgatory, illegal driving really __**does **__teach you how to drive legally, and when you have glass in your face, no matter how loud and how much you scream, it won't make it any better._

"Okay, Tsuna...are you ready?"

"Ready for...?"

"To learn to drive, of course!"

"Yes!"

"Great, take this."

"What?"

"It's Burnout Paradise. Here's a gaming steering wheel." He handed me the game and the steering wheel. I stared at them.

"This is how you're going to teach me how to drive...a game?"

"In a very dark room, on a really big TV...while I watch. First, we have to go through the basics, as if you were driving, and I was the passenger."

"I still don't see how this is going to help me..."

"You will see...come with me..."

I followed TC into a room. There was the body of a car sitting in the center. "What the hell? Why is there a car sitting in middle of this room?"

"It's a simulator! Come!" He walked inside. I shrugged and followed. "You'll be learning how to drive using an actual car."

"Okay..."

"Get into the driver's seat."

I sat in the seat. I grabbed onto the steering wheel and the windshield was turned into a screen. The game graphics were on the screen. "Alright, Tsunayoshi...choose a car, and let's get rolling."

"Aren't I supposed to be learning how to drive legally!?"

"If you can learn to drive illegally, then you'll know how to drive legally!"

"But, all the stop lights and stuff-"

"JUST FUCKING DRIVE."

"Do...I...need to stop!?"

"Yes, you must obey all traffic laws."

"WELL HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT, IF I'M GOING 100 MILES AN HOUR!?"

"You don't go 100 miles an hour, unless if the sign tells you to."

I let off the gas pedal. "You could have told me that."

"I just did."

"Yeah..."

"Keep your eyes on the fucking road!"

"I AM!"

"You just ran over a dog!"

"WELL I'M SORRY THAT IT RAN OUT IN FRONT OF THE CAR!"

"You're on the fucking sidewalk."

"NO I'M N-oh..." I turned the wheel. "Heh heh..."

"Dumbass..."

"I'm new to this..."

"LOOK OUT FOR THE LADY PUSHING A STROLLER."

And I hit the lady pushing a stroller. "WAAAAAAAAA!"

"Shit..."

"YOU JUST KILLED A FUCKING BABY. Look in the rearview...maybe it's still alive..."

I looked in the mirror. "It's still moving...but there's like...a giant tire mark on it...should I like, put it out of its misery?"

"Yes."

I stopped the simulation car, and put it into reverse. It ran over the baby again. "Okay...that was, not creepy at all..."

"WAAA!"

"OH MY GOD!" I drove over it again. "ZOMBEH!"

"WAAAA!"

"IT'S STILL ALIVE!"

"RUN OVER THE GOD DAMN HEAD!"

Again, the car went over the child, its head made a satisfying crunch and squish, and the blood squirted everywhere. "Whoa..."

"WAAA!"

"OHMAGOD A REAL ZOMBEH!"

"Stop the fucking car." TC got out and went into the trunk.

"Wait...why the fuck are you getting out, we're in a simulation."

"Actually..." He walked over holding a shot gun. "We're in purgatory." He cocked the gun.

"...seriously?"

"Yes." He walked over to Tsuna's side. "Die, zombetch!"

+BANG!+

"All witnesses annihilated." He jumped back into the car. "Fucking drive."

"Why?"

"DRIVE, DAMNIT!"

I stepped on the pedal, and we flew off. "STAY AT THE SPEED LIMIT."

"MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND!"

"We're in a school zone. Slow the fuck down."

TC rolled down the window, and put the barrel of the gun out the window. "Time to go fishin'..."

"TC, you need professional help."

"That's what Josh is for!"

+Retatatatatatatatatat+

"OHMAGOD You just killed all those little kids, and that pregnant lady, and the priest...and the clown! OHMAGOD he's scary...HOLY SHIT, THE PRIEST IS ALIVE."

"EXORCIST!" He shot at him again.

"OHMAGOD!"

"PRAISE B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-Jesus."

"HE'S LIKE THE BABY..."

"MAYBE THEY'RE CONNECTED!"

"WHEN DID THIS BECOME ZOMBIES?"

"Who ever said they were fucking zombies? GRENADE! FRAG OUT." He threw one out the window. "DRIVE AWAY!"

"GOTCHA!" And off we went again, a scene of destruction playing behind us. A very ominous mushroom cloud formed over the group of children and people slaughtered.

"So...is this really teaching me how to drive...?"

"No, but this will."

Police cars were gaining on us, their sirens blaring. "Shit...shit...cops! I'm not even permitted!"

"I don't think that's the issue right now, Tsunayoshi! DRIVE LIKE THE FUCKING WIND."

"I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER OPTIONS...wait...you can get us out of this..."

"Ha-ah yeah, well...no."

"What do you mean?"

"Ahh...well...ya'see...YOU DRIVE, I GUN!" He ripped the door off its hinges, and threw it into the windshield of a police car. "DON'T LOOK...JUST DRIVE. I'M GETTING INTO THE BACK, I HAVE TO TAKE A SHIT."

"Eeeeeeeeww...ohmagod, what?"

"I NEED...TO TAKE...A LARGE...ASS...JUSTICY...FILEY...SHIT."

"Oh, okay..."

TC climbed through the car and into the back seats. He punched out the back window. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, I'M BLEEDING."

"WAIT, WAHT!?"

"DON'T FUCKING LOOK AT ME, DRIVE!"

The sirens were still going. "WHY CAN'T WE LEAVE!"

"Because we have to make it to the PORTAL."

"What portal?!"

"Did I say portal? I meant, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DRIVE DAMNIT. HOLY SHIT, BULLET!" +.MATRIX.+

"MY EAR ITCHES!"

"DON'T SCRATCH IT!"

"BUT IT REALLY ITCHES!"

"TAKE A LEFT!"

I turned the wheel sharply to the left. TC's face broke the window. "Shit...my face...it bleeds...it has glass in it...naah..."

"CAN WE PLEASE LEAVE NOW?"

"Naaah...glass in my face."

"Can I at least turn on the radio?"

"Sure, why not?"

I turned the radio on. It was silent for a moment. "...Sweet home Alabama...where the skies are so blue...sweet home Alabama...I'll be coming home to you...yes I will."

TC did the liberty of breaking the other window with his face. "EVEN MORE GLASS IN MY FACE! EVEN MORE BLOOD DRIPPING IN MY CLOTHES..."

I turned the radio to another channel. Epic chase music was on. "That's awesome..." I pulled a random pair of sunglasses out of thin air, and put them on. I popped a pill, and went into Hyper mode. "Let's do this."

"BADABING, MOTHER FUCKAS!" TC was shooting out the back window. "THIS IS FOR MY FACE!"

I swerved the car as bullets went past. Random Pokémon (bike road to veridian city) music started to play. "WHAT THE FOCK!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I tried to change it. "IT WONT SHUT OFF."

TC turned one of his guns toward it, and shot it. "IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS..."

"Really...okay, whatever." He proceeded to shoot. "I WOULD BUY YOU A HOUSE!"

"I would buy you furniture for that house..." I added.

"Maybe a nice Chester Field, or an ottoman," said the cops.

"Well, at least we know we're in good company. If I had million dollars..." (TC)

"If I had million dollars..." (I)

"I would build us a tree house in the back of the house..." (TC)

"And I would put in a mini fridge!" (I) "I'm hungry now..."

"RUINING THE BARE NAKED LADIES MOMENT."

"Sorry..."

"You know, they have prewrapped sausage..."

"Yeah, but they don't have prewrapped bacon."

"Can you blame them?"

"Yeah."

"If I had a million dollars..."

"If I had a million dollars...I would buy you a monkey..."

"HAVEN'T YOU ALWAYS WANTED A MONKEY!" TC said as he tossed a grenade out the window. "Hey, Tsunayoshi...I have a fairly advanced piece of technology right here in my hands...do you know what it does? This fucker is like a nuclear explosion in a bazooka..." The weapon fired off. "Well, there goes another couple hundred babies..."

The town behind us was blown to smithereens. "Yeah, TC...Aren't all these people just going to show up here again? It's purgatory, as you said."

"Hahahahahahaa...no."

"But..."

"This is earth, mark two."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It was created by Slabartfast."

"Fuck you and your references."

"DON'T PANIC. AH MY FACE IS BLEEDING! DON'T PANIC."

I stopped the car. There were zombies walking over the horizon. "Oh...shit...they're ALIVE."

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"

I tried to push on the gas, and the car pretty much, in all it could say, said, "Fuck you guys, I'm going home."

"Well...we're fucked."

"You see, Tsunayoshi...there's a song I like to sing when I feel like I'm in a bit of a pickle...it goes little like this...'When all the world is a hopeless jumble...and the raindrops tumble...all around heaven...open some magic thing...when all the clouds darken up the skyway...there is a rainbow highway to be found...from your windowpane...somewhere over the rainbow...way up high...-"

"Fuck you, TC..."

"Yeah, I think we should get out of the car now." TC stepped out of the car, and stepped on a zombiebaby. "Ew...it doodied!"

I opened my door and stepped out. "Sounds good..." Amazingly, I was still in Hyper mode. "Okay...where do we go?"

"I don't know...help me get the stuff out of the trunk..."

"Sure, why not..."

I walked to the back. "I must say, for a Prius, it has a lot of trunk space."

"I know! You can hide like...ten dead bodies back here!" He looked around shifty.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay...so what's back here?"

"Ten dead bodies."

"SACRIFICE!"

"Nope, bait."

"Well isn't that the same thing?"

"Actually no, bait is-"

"WE'RE ABOUT TO BE EATEN BY ZOMBEHS...JUST THROW THEM THE FUCKING MEAT."

"They're not lions man...zombies are actually very sophisticated and intelligent beings."

"...WE NEED TO THROW THEM THE DEAD BODIES."

"The bait?"

"YES, THE BAIT."

"But I thought you said they were sacrifices!"

"WHATEVER THEY ARE, JUST GIVE THEM TO THE ZOMBIES."

"But they're not going to the zombies."

"THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE TEN DEAD BODIES IN THE BACK OF A PRIUS?"

"A Prius Hybrid."

I rubbed my temples. "Okay...where are the bodies going?"

"You mean these bodies?"

"OHMAGOD. YES. THESE BODIES. THESE BODIES THAT YOU CLAIMED WERE GOING TO THE ZOMBIES, AND THEN THEY WEREN'T AND THEY'RE IN THE BACK OF A PRIUS HYBRID."

"What? These aren't dead bodies, these are air fresheners. Who told you they were dead bodies."

"I'VE GONE INSANE."

"Have you?"

"AAAH." I slammed my head on the car. "Fuck my life..."

"You know, you don't need to hurt yourself."

"You know, you can go fuck yourself..."

"Oh, trust me man, I would if I could."

"Oh really? Well, why can't you?"

"I'm not a fucking Russian contortionist."

"Can we...just...save our asses?"

"You know, there is supposed to be a crack in the ass...I'm sure you didn't know that."

"oh...magod..." A random zombie grabbed onto my hands, and took my gloves. "Mother fucker..."

He proceeded to chew on them. My Hyper mode went away. "Wh...WHAT IS GOING ON!?"

"What are you going on about?"

"WHY ARE THERE ZOMBIES HERE!?"

"What zombies? You mean, these dead bodies?"

"WHAT!? DEAD BODIES?" I felt a sharp pain in the head. "OW! WHAT THE HELL!?"

"You slammed your head on the car...the dent is right here."

"What are dead bodies doing in here?"

"What dead bodies? I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You just said...that they were dead bodies."

The zombie was still chewing on the gloves. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, cuh...get off that."

"Yes, cuh."

"I'm going...to stole off on you...if you keep insisting...that these are dead bodies."

"So, what are they, air fresheners?"

"Precisely."

"What are you going to do with these air fresheners?"

"What air fresheners?"

"These ones," I said and pointed.

"These? They're not air fresheners. They're dead bodies. They're bait for the zombies."

I stared at him, as if to say, "YOU'RE A DUMBFUCK, AND I'M OUTTA HERE."

I grabbed onto a baby zombie, and threw it into the trunk of the car, and it proceeded to eat the bodies/air fresheners/bait/sacrifices. I started to walk off. "NO! MY COCONUTS!"

"Are you coming or what?" I was still walking away.

"Okay, fine...I'll miss you Geoffrey...you too Siegfried...and Rolf...and...Leslie..."

"I'm almost halfway there..."

"Where?"

"To nowhere...get your ass going, or we'll be eaten."

"Oh...well, anyway..." TC said as he caught up. "Here's your mittens back."

The zombie's head was still chewing on it. I kicked it off. "Fuck you, I want my mittens back."

"Hey look, a building!"

"Where?"

"That fucking skyscraper RIGHT THERE."

I looked to the ground. TC grabbed my head and pulled it up. "Right there, dumbass."

"But, that's a dead body."

I was hit in the head with the leg of a zombie. "Ow...zombie legs hurt..."

"Damn straight...it broke over your head...what's in there?"

"Funny you should ask that..."

"WAIT. WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS."

"Okay."

"Put your mittens back on, boy."

"Okay..." I pulled one on. "EW IT'S ALL WET." I pulled the other one on. "Nasty..." They changed back into gloves, and my power came back.

"Whoa...what did you do with those dead bodies?"

"What dead bodies?"

"Well, I see we've started to move, so I don't really give a damn anymore...I just want to get home."

"Who ever said we were moving?"

"Well...we're not at the car anymore."

"I'm not understanding your logic."

"Look, can we get the fuck out of here?"

"Fuck's not a nice word!"

"Neither is DIPSHIT ASSHOLE."

"I'M TELLING!"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO TELL? IT'S JUST YOU AND ME."

"There are always the zombies."

"Yes, go tell the zombies your problems and get eaten...enjoy yourself..."

"What zombies?"

I shook my head and started walking again. "I hate you."

"Do you?"

"Yes...with every fiber of my being."

"Since when in the hell did you have fibers?"

"Oh my fucking god..."

"You called?"

"NO."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said..."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck's not a nice word," I said in a mocking tone.

"I don't give a shit."

"Obviously...because we're not running away from the horde of zombies that wants to eat our flesh, and suck our brains out through our noses with a straw."

"Now, what's the point in that?"

"THIS IS ALL JUST SO GOD DAMN IRRELEVENT TO ME..."

"Heh-heh, you said irrelevant! HEY LOOK, THE SKYSCRAPER BUILDING."

"It's a fucking llama."

"Oh...what llama?"

I knelt on the ground, and smashed my face into it. "I'm just going to fucking die now...nice knowing you..." I smashed my face into it again, and the ground opened. "WHAT!?" I fell into a tunnel.

"TUNNEL! FUCK YES!" TC jumped in. I was sliding down on my face. "IT'S DARK IN HERE!"

"I THINK MY FACE IS MAKING SPARKS."

"Is it bleeding?"

"I can't tell...I'm still sliding on it."

"Yep...it's bleeding...you know, you should stop bleeding...it will call upon the horde! Stop...stop bleeding! Stop it! Stop fucking bleeding!"

"I can't do anything about it...my face is still sliding."

I ran into a wall. "Not anymore..."

"It's like...blacker than CT down here..."

"EHY! Dat's not very nice."

"Fuck you CT."

"EHY...I SAID THAT'S NOT VERY NICE."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Just coming to say that that's not nice. Peace, niggas..."

"Flashlight!"

"What? OHMAGOD I CAN'T SEE."

"Here's a helmet!" TC slammed a helmet onto my head.

"Good god this thing is heavy..."

"It's Mjorin armor...or Spartan Armor."

"Oh...Halo now?"

"Yep."

"Okay..."

"You know how to use it?"

"Yeah..."

"Then let's go.."

"Okay...I might as well warn you though, that I think the writer is about to die...just letting you know."

"What writer?"

"Exactly."

"You're learning well..."

"I've learned from the best."

"Who?"

"Charlie Sheen."

"Damn straight."

"Look...can we just get going..."

"What do you mean."

"Fine, I'll just sit here."

"I wouldn't do that, you might not be able to get back up. OH HEY, by the way...we should get moving."

(And the writer says: This is going to be too fucking long to be one fucking chapter. Longer already than Chapter 4...and that was a long ass chapter...continuing, though...)

"Fine..."

"A LIGHT BULB! WHERE THE FUCK IS THE STRING? I FOUND IT! IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE LIGHTBULB." He pulled it. "ZOMBIES! I TOLD YOU. THE FUCKING BLOOD LED THEM HERE!"

"WELL DON'T JUST FUCKING STAND THERE AND YELL AT ME, RUN!"

"WHERE? WE'RE IN A FUCKING BOX!"

"THEN WE FIGHT!"

"GET DOWN!"

"WHAT!?"

"DUAL SMG's MOTHER FUCKERS!"

"AH!" I ducked to the ground. "WATCH WHERE YOU AIM THOSE THINGS!"

"WHAT THINGS?" TC asked as he was twirling midair shooting at the zombies.

"FIND US A GOD DAMN WAY OUT."

"WELL, I'M SORRY, I'M KIND OF PREOCCUPIED. I CAN'T JUST STOP AND DROP WHAT I'M DOING TO DO WHAT YOU SAY. GOD, YOU SOUND LIKE MY MOM."

"Fine! I'll find a way out..."

"Out of where?"

"OUT OF YOUR ASS..." I started to crawl along the floor. "Fuck this armor..."

"USE YOUR GLOVES, DUMBASS."

"Riiiiight..." The jets of the gloves stood me back up, and also created a new hole in the floor. "Fuck, were we on the roof?"

"What? That's highly improbable!"

"Take a look for yourself!"

A random business man looked up the hole. "What the hell are you guys doing on our roof?"

"DIE ZOMBIE!" He started to shoot at him.

"NO, TC, HE'S A SURVIVOR..."

"NOT ANYMORE."

"What do you mean?"

"Survivors can't be survivors if they're dead."

"Good point...so um...are we going to go inside the hole?"

"LET'S GO!" TC grabbed me from behind and we fell through.

"SHIIIIIIT!" we started falling through the floors.

"For fucks sake, how big is this mother fucking llama?"

"WELL...I DON'T THINK IT'S A LLAMA...I THINK ITS AN ALPACA!"

"Why do you say?"

"AT THE SUCCESSIVE RATE AT WHICH WE ARE FALLING-"

"I fucking hate Alpacas..."

"CROcODILES ARE COOL."

(And again...the writer is going to die of aneurisms...though I haven't felt the blood yet...I NEED BODY PARAGRAPHS, NOT DIALOGUE!)

We both hit the floor. TC landed on his feet, and I landed on my face. "TC...my face is bleeding again..."

"God damnit...you broke the armor...take...it...off."

"Get me up, then."

TC grabbed me and lifted me like a piece of paper. "NOW...take it off."

"How do I do that!? THERE ARE SHARDS OF GLASS IN MY FUCKING FACE."

"Where are we?"

"Fuck, I don't know..." I looked around.

"Well, why don't you know?"

"Because I fell on my face, and there are shards of glass in it at this moment, and it's bleeding profusely...and there were dead bodies in the back of your car, and they weren't bodies, but fresheners of the air, and then they were again...and then they weren't...and then the zombie took my gloves...and then the cops tried to eat us, and the priest DIDN'T DIE...and the baby wouldn't die either, and you shot it...and then you blew up the town...and a couple hundred more babies...and then zombies...and back to the car and bodies, that AREN'T bodies, but sacrifice/bait/bodies/fresheners of the air!"

"It's a Prius Hybrid."

"AND THEN THE HYBRID OF THE PRIUS AND THE FRESHENERS OF THE AIR, AND THE ZOMBIES OF THE TOWN THAT YOU BLEW UP...AND THE FUCKING LADY AND THE BABY! AND THE BODIES. AND THE FLOOR...AND THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR...AND THEN THE ROOF...AND THE BUSINESS DUDE, AND HE WAS ALL LIKE "what the hell are you doing to our roof, mate?" AND I WAS ALL LIKE...FUCKING SHIT WE'RE IN AN ALPACA, AND YOU SAID YOU FUCKING HATE ALPACAS, AND I SAID...WELL, CROCODILES ARE COOL...I DON'T KNOW WHY THE FUCK I SAID CROCODILES ARE COOL...I DON'T KNOW...I THINK MY FUCKING MIND IS DEAD BECAUSE THERE IS GLASS IN MY FACE AND IT'S BLEEDING!"

"Dude, you're like harshing my mellow..."

"FUCK YOUR MELLOW...I JUST WANT TO GO HOME BECAUSE I CAN FEEL THE GLASS SEEPING INTO MY FACE EVEN MORE THAN THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, AND THE BLOOD...I FEEL FUCKING DIZZY! I'M GOING TO FUCKING DIE OF BLOODLOSS BECAUSE I WANTED TO FUCKING LEARN HOW TO FUCKING DRIVE LEGALLY! BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I HAVE TO MEET UP WITH ZOMBIES, AND SEE DEAD BODIES IN THE TRUNK, THAT WEREN'T BODIES...AND THEN THE BABY, AND THE EXPLOSIONS...AND THE FUCKING WHEE-OO OF THE COPS! AND THE CLOWN, YOU REMEMBER THE CLOWN!? AND IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS, I WOULD FUCKING KILL YOU, UP THE ASS, AND OUT THE FUCKING BRAIN! SWEET HOME FUCKING ALABAMA...WHERE THE SKIES ARE FULL OF ZOMBIES AND WE'RE ALL FUCKED ANYWAY SO WHY NOT GO THERE!? WE'RE FUCKED, I AM FUCKED, YOU'RE FUCKED...FUCK FUCK FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK! MY FAAAAACE...AND MY HEAD...AND THE BLOODY SPARTAN ARMOR THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF AND THE FUCKING GLASS THAT IS STILL IN MY FUCKING FACE, AND EMBEDDING ITSELF THERE FOREVER MORE BECAUSE I'M SCREAMING LIKE A LITTLE BITCH, AND IT WONT HELP, BUT I'M DOING IT ANYWAY BECAUSE WE'RE ALL FUCKED HERE IN PURGATORY...AND CT WAS HERE. OH FUCKING GREAT. NOW I'M GOING TO REALLY FUCKING DIE BECAUSE I KILLED HIM, AND HE WANTS TO FUCKING KILL ME UP THE ASS AND OUT THE BRAIN. GOT ANY FUCKING MILK? I NEED SOMOE FUCKING MILK SO I CAN DIE FASTER. AND OREOS? FUCK THEM TOO. WHAT WOULD YOU FUCKING DO FOR A FUCKING KLONDIKE BAR!? WOULD YOU PUT TEN DEAD, NOT DEAD, NOT BODIES, NOT A FUCKING REGULAR PRIUS, BUT A HYBRID PRIUS."

"Thank you."

"BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO SAVE THE FUCKING PLANET, WHEN IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER! WE'RE ALL GOING TO FUCKING DIE BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORST FUCKING DAY OF MY LIFE, BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL SHARDS IN MY FACE, AND ZOMBIES AT THE DOOR, AND BODIES, NOT BODIES, NOT A REGULAR PRIUS, AND NOT ANY REAL LLAMAS HERE..."

"Do you need a hug?"

"FUCK YOU, AND YOUR FUCKING HUGS...I NEED TO GET LAID. JUST SAYING. BEFORE I FUCKING DIE OF THESE SHARDS IN MY FACE, I NEED TO GET LAID...AND NOT JUST LAID...I MEAN, CASUAL HARDCORE FUCKING TABOO SEX...AN ORGY MAYBE!"

"Whoa man..."

"FUCK YOUR MELLOW...I WANT A FUCKING MUSHROOM...I DON'T KNOW WHY I JUST SAID THAT, BUT I NEED ONE. AND THE STUPID POKEMON SONG WONT LEAVE MY FUCKING HEAD! BUM BUM BUM BUM DADALADADADLADADADALDALD FUCK FUCK FUCK."

"Tsunayo-"

"FUUUUUUUUUCK."

"..."

"FUCK. I need a popsicle." (SORRY, THE WRITER CANT FUCKING SPELL!) "AND THIS FUCKING CO WRITER NEXT TO THE WRITER IS DRIVING ME UP A FUCKING WALL...HE'S TC, YOU KNOW...HE'S IN TWO PLACES AT FUCKING ONCE RIGHT NOW...AT THIS MOMENT...AND HE'S WHISPERING THIS SHIT...BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO YELL IN OUR HOUSE BECAUSE OUR FUCKING MOM WILL GET ANGRY AT US...FUCKING TOASTER OVENS...other than that, how are you?"

"Are you quite finished."

"No...one more...FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK K! Okay, I'm done."


	3. The Mafia

**Chapter 3: The Mafia**

_When I was growing up, I was never really absorbed in money. Before my father died he was a Police Officer, so we had enough money to pay the bills, eat, and have small luxuries. After he died, my mother worked two jobs to make enough for us to eat, well, for __**her **__to eat. Once KT came, she had the money to take me places, feed me; she lived alone. At that time, she claimed the money came from her father in jail. __Now I know the whole truth, and it makes more sense__. TC would give her the money every time she needed it._

_Everything made sense._

The cellphone in my pocket rang. I pulled it out and answered it, having seen it was Gokudera. "Hey," I said. "How's everything going?"

"_Everything is fine, Tenth…I have a question for you."_

"Go ahead…" I leaned back in my chair and Bob hopped into my lap and nudged my hand.

"_Were you ever told what your father did?"_

"Like what? Occupation wise? He was a Police Officer. He was an original part of the Ten, too. Why?"

He was silent for a moment, and I heard papers be shuffled. _"Unknown to your mother and everyone else, your father left a will. It's addressed to you."_

I sat up. "What does it say?"

Bob looked up at me. "What is it?" he asked.

"My father's will."

"Ah."

"It says, 'I apologize for leaving you prematurely. It was all necessary if you were to survive. I leave to you some things you do not know about. Our family is of Mafia descent. Meaning, your great-great-great grandfather was a Mafia boss in Italy. It skipped to your great grandfather and then your late grandfather was next. You, son, are the heir to its fortune.'"

The words took a few moments to sink in. "Mafia? Me? I'm a Mafia boss? That's _impossible_!"

"Not really, Tenth. This Mafia was composed of the Ten, and other allies. It's not like the mobs of Italy. It's more like a vigilante group, but for the good of the people."

"I can't believe this…"

"I'm going to travel out to the mansion and scope it out."

"Mansion? What all am I inheriting here?"

"You're inheriting the family itself, the headquarters, and the money. The money…" he paused a moment as he read through some smaller print on the paper in front of him. "…Is in an account you can activate when you become boss. That means you will have to travel out to Italy for a few days."

"Y-yeah…Okay. I can do that, I guess."

"I'll be on a plane to Italy tomorrow. I'll order your ticket when I get settled there."

"Right…What about the others? Will they go out there too?"

"Once I have determined it is safe…The rest of the Ten will take up quarters there…But they can come and go as they please…I know there will probably be no containing Hibari."

I smirked, knowing it was true. "You're right…So, what do I tell KT?"

"Everything I just told you…I'll email you the flight information so you can get your boarding passes…Kera-Taka and your friend can come along if they'd like…"

"Yeah…Alright…I'll let you know when you let _me_ know how it is."

"Sounds about right, Tenth…I'll let you know as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Gokudera."

"Good-bye, Tenth."

I placed my phone back in my pocket and looked at Bob. "I'm a Mafia boss, Bob…Me! Hah! And now, KT can't hound me about not having any money!"

"What do you want, Tsuna?"

I hopped onto the cart and stared at her as she pushed it forward with no effort at all. "For you and Ty to come to Italy with me."

"What for?"

"I explained this to you already! I'm a Mafia boss!"

An older woman looked at me as she passed us pushing her cart the opposite direction. I smiled a nice, polite smile. KT rolled her eyes. "You are not."

"Come on, KT. You're the daughter of Zeus and Mother Nature…You control the weather and you can read minds. How is it that you cannot believe this?"

She sighed slightly and grabbed a box from a shelf and tossed it into the cart. "I just don't, Tsuna. Must there be a reason for everything?"

"Yes! There is a reason for everything, KT. You have a reason for not believing me. I just want to know what it is."

"Fine, you want to know why? I think it's just _convenient _you're just now coming up with this. I think you're making it up because you don't want to get a job."

I hopped off the cart and stood in front of it, stopping her forward motion. "You think I'm making an excuse? I am a hard working individual, KT."

"With what? All you do when you are home is play video games or use the internet."

"Ah—" ~I hate when she's right!~

~"She's got you cornered, now."~

"He's damn right. Tsuna, I just want you to be honest; you know you're making this up."

"I am not!"

My phone rang. "It's probably Gokudera calling me to ask how many plane tickets I need!"

I answered it. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Tenth! You're never going to believe how amazing this place is! There's a 24 hour staff that runs everything…They can't wait to meet you, Tenth."

"I can't wait to meet them, either. Look, I'm having trouble getting KT to believe me! Can you explain it to her?"

"_Sure, Tenth—"_

"Tsuna, I don't want to hear it."

"Just hear him out, KT—"

"This discussion is over, Tsuna."

She walked on, and left me standing alone. "Fine! I'm going home to pack! See you whenever I get back!" I stormed through the store and through the sliding doors. "What's the earliest I can leave?"

"_That's the thing, Tenth. There's a—"_

"When, Gokudera?" There was a desperate hint to my voice. He typed something in on a computer.

"_Tonight, if you'd like, Tenth. Are you bringing anyone?"_

"No. I'm coming alone."

I crossed the street quickly. _"Alright…Your flight leaves at 6:30 tonight. I'm sending you the information so you can print your boarding pass."_

"Thanks…I'll call you on my way to the airport."

"Okay, Tenth…" He paused a moment. _"Will you be okay?"_

I came to a standstill on the sidewalk and stared at the sky. "I don't know."

I heard him smile. _"You'll be fine, Tenth."_

"Thanks, Gokudera." I placed my phone in my pocket.

~"I can _feel_ your fear, kid…You sure you'll be okay?"~

I took a deep breath. "I don't know, Tsu-sama…I shouldn't be afraid, should I? It's been three years…That should be time enough, right?"

~"Fears are hard to overcome…_You're _the judge at how much time you need to fight it."~

I started to walk again. "I'll definitely be taking the first steps today…"

~"That you will…"~

I got home and instantly went to my computer to print my information. Ty looked into my room. "Oh, hey. You're back already?"

"I walked."

"Oh. Why?"

"KT pissed me off."

"About what?" He walked into my room and noticed the suitcase by my dresser. "You're _leaving_?"

"For a few days…I'm going to Italy. She knows."

"Why? Is what she did that bad?"

I looked at him. "It's what she _didn't _do."

"Well…when are you leaving?"

"Plane leaves at 6:30 tonight…"

The airport was busy. Hundreds of people were walking through, having just arrived, or were ready to leave. I walked through security and took my shoes and hoodie off, and then placed my pocket's contents into another bin along with my computer case. My gloves and activation pills were in my suitcase. I got through and placed my things into my pockets, put on my shoes, then grabbed my laptop and continued on. It was only 5:30. I had another hour until my flight would leave. I sat in a chair and plugged my laptop up into a power source to keep the charge. I typed "the Italian Mafia" into Google. Most of the listings were either in the Italian language or they were bashing the Mafia for being merciless. At the bottom of the second page, though, was a page in English on happenings in Italy that were bewildering many due to the kindness of their nature. I read through the article, hoping there was a name, but nothing came up. I could only believe it was the family I was about to inherit.

I spent the rest of the hour emailing Gokudera about the ceremony and asked him what it was like in Italy. _"The weather is kind of mild…Summer like. But there isn't any humidity. So, it's not scorching hot. The mansion is kept at 65 degrees most of the time. At night, it's raised slightly. It's really big, Tenth."_

I closed my laptop when someone sat behind me. "Hi!"

I looked over and it was a little girl, maybe about 6 years old. Her green eyes were hidden behind purple glasses. I placed my laptop in the case. "Hey…"

"Are you going to Italy, too?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"Lily! What are you doing?" A disgruntled parent dropped beside her, a mess of carry-on bags sprawled on the floor. The woman didn't look much older than her early 20s. "I'm sorry…she's very social."

I smiled. "It's alright…What are you traveling to Italy for?"

"My husband is in the military…I'm going to visit him there."

"That's a nice surprise…"

"I miss daddy a lot…I can't wait to see him!"

"I'm headed to Italy as well…They found something in my father's will that I have to be there for."

"Do you miss your daddy?"

"Lily! That's rude…"

I stared off at the scene outside the large viewing window a moment before looking back at the little girl. "Always…"

She smiled. "I'm sure he misses you, too…"

"Flight 590 to Boston is now boarding…"

Lily hopped down from her seat and grabbed her carry-on bag. "Let's go!"

Her mother got up and grabbed her bag, then pulled their boarding passes from the pocket of her jacket. "Alright…Go on then."

I placed the laptop case strap over my shoulder and walked to the gate, boarding pass in hand. I looked into the loading bridge. ~I can't turn back now…~

The attendant checked my pass and motioned me on. I stared at the pass my entire walk to the plane, trying to memorize my flight seat and how close to any exits I was. I sat beside a young man, maybe in his early 30's. He was in a suit and tie with his fingers glued to his laptop keyboard. "You do business?" I asked.

He looked up, startled. "I hadn't noticed you there, I'm sorry…I was so focused on this…"

"It's fine…Are you in business?"

"Yeah…I'm in charge of foreign affairs for my dad's company."

"Cool…where you headed?"

"Japan…We have a contract with a small drink company there. I've never been, though…I'm kind of worried."

"Don't be. I lived there my entire life…There's nothing really to be worried about…As long as you can get past the language barrier, you'll be fine."

"Really? Your entire life? Are you headed home?"

"I wish…" I laughed slightly. "I'm headed to Italy…I'm inheriting my father's estate."

"Wow…In Italy? That's interesting."

"Yeah…I had no idea it existed until a few days ago…"

"Cool…My name's Mark, by the way. And don't mind my sudden quiet moments…I love to talk, but when it comes to business…My head just gets stuck."

"Don't worry about it…And I'm Tsuna."

The flight to Boston took three hours. In that time I tried to sleep, but every time I dozed off, I dreamed about the plane crashing. Mark had put his laptop away by the third time I woke up. "You're pretty restless…" he commented. I scratched my head and yawned. "I don't like planes very much…Had a bad experience a few years ago…"

"Hm…It must be pretty hard for you to be here, then."

"Kind of…"

He looked out the window at the lights below. "We're going to be in Boston soon…"

"What's in Boston?"

"I went to school there…I met my wife there, too…"

"Boston is pretty memorable for you, then…I've never been…Well, I may have. I was probably conked out on sleeping pills or something…"

He laughed. "Why did you leave Japan?"

"There are some pretty bad memories that I wanted to escape from…" I stared at the ceiling of the plane. "Some things I'm not really proud of…I needed the opportunity to start over…"

"Understandable…Will you ever go back?"

I thought about Habira, and how much I missed her. "Someday…There's at least one good memory there."

Boston's airport was less crowded and Ohio's. We got in at 10:30 p.m. their time, and the flight to London, England, would leave in the morning. I looked around and tried to determine where to go next. "Your flight doesn't leave until tomorrow, right?" he asked once we had gotten away from the gate. "I've got a room if you need somewhere to go."

"Really? I mean, I couldn't ask for that."

"No, it's okay, really. My flight goes out around 10:00 tomorrow morning. I don't mind company…You might be able to help me with some translations, actually…"

"Uh…okay, then…I just need to nab my luggage."

Mark's hotel room was a suite on the highest floor of the hotel. ~I haven't seen one this nice since Nepal…~

There was a large flat screen on the wall and a desk beside it. "It's a business room…You can set up conferences from in here…The TV hooks up with a computer wirelessly…"

"Sweet…" I walked around the room, taking in every detail. "This place is huge…"

"I see rooms like this all the time…" He set his luggage on the floor by one of the large beds in the room. "It's more like a home to me now than a luxury."

"I want _your_ job…"

"What do you do?"

I fell onto the other bed, facing the ceiling. "I'm just a plain student…"

"You're in college?"

I turned over and looked at him. "High School…I'm a sophomore."

"You're joking, right?" He sat and pulled his shoes off. "You have to be joking…"

"I'm not…I'm only 15."

"Good God, you look to be in your late 20's."

"Nope! 15 and loving every moment…" I kicked off my shoes and pulled my legs onto the bed. "Except the getting a job part…"

"I don't know…If I were an employer, I would have probably hired you on the spot. You seem very mature for your age…"

"Thanks…I've had a pretty rough life…It's just in my nature."

"Survival of the fittest…so coined by Charles Darwin…and you, kid, you're the fit."

~"He has no idea what he's talking about…If he knew what you've been through, he'd _really _understand!"~

I looked at the patterned bedspread. ~Thing is, though…I'm glad he doesn't. I don't wish this on anyone else…There is always that chance that CT comes back or someone just like him comes after me, as well as everyone I have ever known. I don't want to make that a reality.~

"Yeah…I guess."

I ran my finger along the pattern; swirls that branched other curls continuously along the entirety of the spread. "Hey, Tsuna…"

I looked up. Mark motioned me to the window as he stared out. I slid off the bed and meandered over. "That's Boston University over there, just across the river…"

The lights of the city reflected off the water, causing brilliantly dazzling dances across the surface as it rippled in the nighttime air. "You looked pretty thoughtful about something a few minutes ago…Do you mind if I ask?"

I glanced at him shortly, realizing there was an actual assurance there that I could tell him anything. "You said there were things that happened in Japan that you weren't proud of; some bad memories…What happened to you there?"

~"Edit what you say to this man…You don't know if you can trust him."~

~I think I can…He's extended to me so many things in the short time we talked to each other, I believe I can trust him…~ "A few years ago I was involved in a plane crash…It took a while to recover, and during that time, my Guardian started to fight for my legal rights. My mother disowned me…I was only 12, about to be 13 when this all happened to me…My mother thinks I'm dead…No one there knows I'm here…"

He crossed his arms over his chest slowly, taking in the information. "Why did she disown you?"

"My father committed suicide when I was 3 years old…and ever since, she believed that I was the reason for all of her problems, including his death. To her, I was the accident that was never meant to be…My father loved me…He wanted me to fix their marriage…Have something for them both to get along about…"

He walked to his bed and sat on it. I looked out on the city once more. In the moonlight, I could only make out a few figures outside. ~"You okay, Kid?"~

Mike walked back over with a piece of paper. He grabbed my hand and placed the paper there, closing my hand around it. He smiled when I glanced at him. "I don't ever want to forget you, Tsuna. Keep in touch with me after tonight, alright? I don't know why, but I believe fate brought our paths together for a reason…Don't ever hesitate to call me or text me or anything…You really have me thinking about my life, in a good way. I was born already knowing I would be fit; I knew I would be able to make a difference in life. But you…You're fit in a different way than I am. You have unimaginable strength in your heart that I could only wish I had."


	4. Italy

I started adding months and years, not only for your help, but for mine. (I forget ALL THE TIME what year it is...and months help with pictures, I think) Uh...I apologize in advance if the chapter is...eh. I don't know.

* * *

Chapter 4: Italy

DECEMBER 2016

Once I had fallen asleep, I was whisked away to Cielo, which was a surprise to me since I hadn't been there since before we fought CT. I opened the door to the room I was in and walked out into the light. I quietly closed the door behind myself before I walked down the hall and to the kitchen. "Mel-No!"

Tsune lunged and grabbed a pan that Mel was about to place on the stove. "What? I was doing what you told me!"

"I _told_ you to _wait_..." He set the pan down on the counter. "I haven't finished my portion yet."

"Well, _sorry_..."

I leaned on the door frame a chuckled. "You two sound like an old married couple."

They looked up, a bit surprised. "Long time no see, Kid..." Mel said, wiping his hands on a rag. He walked up to me. "You've grown a lot...We can see eye to eye now."

Tsune walked over and grinned, leaning his arm on Mel's shoulder. "I'm still taller than both of you...A solid six-foot-two."

"Is that with, or without, the hair?"

"Shut-up, Mel." He pushed him away and looked at me. "What brings you here?"

"Good question...I'm really not sure. It has been a while, though...What are you guys doing?"

"He's teaching me to cook...But so far, it's not really going so well," Mel gestured to the trash can, which was full of burnt food.

"He's hopeless."

"I am not; you're just a horrible teacher."

"I don't know," I said, walking into the kitchen. "You get him on a certain subject and you'll learn real well."

"Your training is in no way even correlated to trying to teach Mel how to cook."

"Can we stop bashing me in the third person, please? Can we just..."

"There's only water in these pots...I thought you were working on something..."

"We are...I have to go back as far as teaching him to boil water."

Tsune walked over and slung his arm over my shoulders. "Are you in Italy yet?"

"No...I'm in Boston...My flight doesn't leave until morning...I thought you knew this."

"I'm not _always _watching what you do. I've been much occupied in trying to keep my house from being burnt down today that I haven't really been...paying attention."

"Oh, okay, I understand."

"Cheer up, Kid...You're being such a downer."

"What?" I looked at him. "All I said was―"

"You're not _arguing _with me now, are you?"

He had a smirk on his face that I couldn't help but laugh at. "Okay, okay, you win…"

"Good…Now I want you to lift your mood and have some fun, okay? I don't want to have to resort to other methods."

"Oh, no. That's quite alright…" I stepped to the side, my hands out. "Really. It's okay."

I looked at my hands and they were growing transparent. "Ah, oh well. It's time to go…"

"Bye, Tsuna!" Mel called, pouring the pot of water into the sink. Tsune looked at him.

"No! Stop that! You're messing it all up!"

I was gone before anything else happened.

The sun had risen earlier than I had expected it to. Sunshine bled through the cracks of the blinds, the streams of light directly in my eyes. I opened them slowly, and then covered my face with my arm. The door opened and closed slowly. I rolled over to face the wall. "You awake over there?"

"Unfortunately…"

"Did the sun get to you?"

"Uh-huh…"

Mark peeked around the corner. "You think _this_ time change is bad? When you get to Italy, you'll have to change your _entire_ sleep schedule."

I sat up and smoothed out my shirt. "Yeah…I figured…"

"I brought up some breakfast snacks from downstairs…Just some wrapped muffins and banana bread and stuff like that…A few Hostess donuts…"

"You start your days just like I do: _lots_ of sugar."

"I'm still a kid at heart."

I got up and grabbed my suit case from the floor and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and jumped into them quickly. I closed it back up and set it on the bed for easy access. The small breakfast table had the wrapped items spread out nonchalantly. I took up a double chocolate muffin and opened it while I fixed my hair in the mirror. I moved away some of the paper wrapper and took a bite, still looking in the mirror. "I organized a cab to come and get you to take you to the airport…It should be here momentarily."

I went to grab my things. "Thanks…"

"Be careful out there, okay?"

I zipped my hoodie halfway up and placed my laptop case over my shoulder so it went cross body. I had my suit case upright by my feet. I slipped into my shoes, and then grabbed onto the handle of the luggage, pulling it all the way up. "I will…Thanks for your help…"

"It was no problem, really…You're a great kid. I really enjoyed this."

We exchanged handshakes, and then I was off to take on a greater part of my journey.

_"We thank you for your patience…At this time you may begin moving about the cabin and using your electrical devices."_

Business men quickly whipped out their laptops or tablets; women with noisy children turned on their tablets and gave the child headphones to watch a movie. I had my laptop out to continue emailing Gokudera. _"The rest of the Ten have arrived, Tenth… Kyoya came along with them, which I believe is a big sur__prise…He wouldn't leave Namimori even if it were to be wiped off the face of the earth… You should be in London today, right? The rest are anxious to see you."_

I smiled and typed in a reply. _"Yeah, I should be in London today…And I think Kyouya-san cares a__ little bit more than he lets on…I can't wait to see you all again; I've really missed you all…I should have brought Ty along, but I, at the time, felt it would be easier if I went alone…And it has paid off."_

Behind me, a foot met the back of the seat I was sitting in. I closed the laptop slowly, waiting for it to happen again, _if _it would happen again. When it did, I turned around quickly, ready to ream out a complaint to whomever was in charge. I did not like what I saw. "You _have _to be kidding me."

"No, this is very real, Tsunayoshi…I didn't even get to the punch line yet, though."

"TC, how did you _find _me here?"

"You must have forgotten who you are talking to."

I turned back in my seat and leaned back. He got up and got into the empty seat beside me. "Although, I have to applaud you for having the balls to get on an airplane again."

"Let's not forget whose fault that is in the _first place_."

"Guilty as charged."

I groaned. "And all this time I thought I was alone."

"Oh, you were. I hadn't caught up to you until this leg of the trip. I had other things to do, like…I don't know, keep my daughter from _blowing up the world_."

"Why? Because I left? I told her I was leaving and where I was going. Of course, she hadn't believed me when I told her I was inheriting a Mafia family. Oh well…She'll believe me when I return."

"You hope, right?"

"Shut-up…" I opened my laptop again. "I've waited for a time of peace, and I was about to have it."

"Get over yourself. I still bother Tsu-senpai, and he doesn't complain that much."

~"He's lying through his teeth! I _hate _his presence, most of the time. He always wants to cook for me, which never ends up well. That, or he just ends up ruining my life more than is even _possible_."~

I chuckled slightly. –You're lying, Tsu! That's a total exaggeration!-

~"No, it's not…Every story I could ever tell Tsuna would consist of another way you ruined my life."~

I went back to chatting with Gokudera while they argued back and forth.

"_Gokudera: Why do you seem distressed, Tenth?_

_Tsuna: TC is here…He followed me…_

_Gokudera: Really? He's coming to Italy as well? I'll have to let them know immediately!_

_Tsuna: Eh, it's not all that bad…I just had no idea. But yeah, you can do that if you need to now. You have a few hours, though. We are nowhere close to London…It will take us about another 5 hours to get to the London airport, and then another 4 hours to get to Rome. Yeah. We have a good while._

_Gokudera: You're right…Are you sure you'll be okay with him around, Tenth. He'__s not really the best role model, and he's the whole reason―_

_Tsuna: I know. I know. But honestly, I feel a lot safer with him around than I did when I was alone. _

_Gokudera: He's your mentor, of course you do._

_Tsuna: It's not just that…I just…I know that if anything were to happen, he would be able to stop it. I think." _

I looked up and TC was heckling a child across the aisle. I smiled. ~He's not all that bad…~

~"So you say…so you say…You didn't spend your entire _life _with this guy…You've only known him for about three years now. If you _knew_ half the secrets he holds…"~

~Like what? What secrets?~

He looked over then. "Nothing, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"What _is_ he talking about, TC?"

I closed my laptop in interest. He turned in his seat so he was angled towards me. "I told you, he has no idea what he is talking about."

~"As if! If you won't tell him, then I definitely will!"~

"What? What is the problem here?"

I glared at TC, staring straight into his eyes past the lenses of his glasses. He sighed. "Fine. You can tell him…But don't exaggerate it or anything like that."

~"Why would I do that? The way it happened was absurd anyhow."~

~What? You _have _to tell me now!~

~"TC is my father."~

The information took a minute to sink into my brain. ~Are you…serious? You're joking, right?~

~"No, this is true."~

TC was sitting back in his seat, staring off at the sky outside the opposite side window. ~How'd you find out?~

~"That's the absurd part about it…"~

~Flashback~

_"I was only thirteen at the time__…Mel and I were searching through TC's office for anything we could find…Well, I was searching and Mel was nagging at me about it…But I was searching, mainly to find something about my origins, or any legal documents…"_

"Tsu, are you sure you're allowed to do this?"

"What's the harm, Melly? They're _my _legal documents, anyway. I should be able to know more about me…Thought, it's not like I'll find anything I don't already know. I was produced in a test tube, so I don't really have parents; just donors."

"_I flipped through a few pages of the folder I was looking through when I came across my birth certificate."_

"Weird," Mel said, mesmerized. "I thought only birthed babies got certificates."

"Maybe it's just a legal thing…But see, the parents are blank."

"_Wh__en I held it up to the light, I noticed that where the parents' names would be, the page was dark. They were covered by something. I ran my thumbs across the bottom of the page and realized I was right."_

"They're stickers!"

"What?"

"I grabbed a paint stripper from a drawer and placed it where I could lift the stickers."

"I don't know about this, Tsu…"

"I just want to know, it's probably the donors names!"

_"I slid the wedge between the paper and the sticker and it lifted. A name appeared along with the mark__er at the bottom of the line that said 'mother'."_

"Elizabeth Carielo."

"You were right about the Italian part…but wouldn't it say _female donor_?"

"Maybe they don't make forms for thing like this…It's very controversial in society, you know…Now, let's find out who the man was."

"_I repeated the process again, but once the name was revealed, I was pretty much shocked into silence. Mel was pretty absorbed in it until he realized what it said."_

"Wait, isn't that―"

"He lied to me…All this time he was lying!"

"I ran off, pretty upset. I passed him as he was coming inside."

"Whoa―Hey! I thought I…"

"_He caught Mel before he could get outside."_

"I told you not to run in the house."

"S-sorry, Mr. TC…But-but Tsu, he's not―we're not playing a game! He's running _away_! He found out what is on his birth certificate!"

"_TC found me and confronted me, Mel right at his side."_

"What do you think you're doing?"

"_As much as I didn't want to, I stopped running and turned to him."_

"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing with me; it's over! I-I don't even know who I am anymore; if this is just some big reality you've created for yourself or what…But I'm not sticking around to find out. I'm leaving."

"I told you to stay out of my stuff―"

"Why! So I wouldn't find out things like this?"

"You're real close to getting a whipping."

_"At that moment I felt so bitter; anything I was able to conjure up to do or say was bitter…I tried to laugh, to show him I wasn't afraid…I turned away."_

"That's real funny…You know what _I _want to know?"

"_I looked him straight in the eyes."_

"How could you do any of what you've done to _your own son_?Huh? How have you done this to me, guilt free, and then _lied _to me the entire time!"

"_I cried in the anger and upset I felt towards him…H__e gave me no reply, so I continued to egg him on." _

"Answer me!"

"_He looked away and I knew. I knew he wouldn't answer me. I stared him down like he was the filthiest being on the planet, and at the time, I believed he was."_

"You're a monster…A monster! You can't even look at me and tell me the truth!"

"_I grabbed Mel as a last resort and pulled him with me as I started to walk off." _

"I'm never coming back!"

_"I took him with me into the woods behind TC's house. It expanded over much of the city, so it was__ known to have a bad reputation."_

"My dad said never to come here…There are bad people that live out here, Tsu! They hurt kids like us!"

"_I was determined to win."_

"Don't worry; I can protect you, Mel."

"I don't like it out here…It's really creepy!"

"I'm proving to him that I am not a liar like he his; that I meant what I said and I'll never go back."

"But don't you have to help your other half?"

"How can I believe anything he told me, Melly? He doesn't have a very good track record for the truth."

"_Mel cou__ldn't tell me that. No one could. Now we were far enough into the forest that the underbrush was dangerous and hid anything and everything…"_

"Where are we―?"

_"He tripped over a root in the underbrush and landed beside me. He was hysterical."_

"Ow! My foot, my foot! It hurts!"

"_I examined it for him, to appease him."_

"It's just sprained…I'll carry you from here out."

"_I helped him up and onto a tree stump so he could hop onto my back."_

"Jump on three: one, two, three!"

"_He jumped on and adjusted quickly, taking a good hold."_

"Are you sure you can do this, Tsu?"

"Definitely."

"_I walked on for a while until I got to a rock wall…I could see the grass at the top."_

"We're climbing this…Watch your knees, Mel…Oh, and, hold on tight."

"I was pretty proficient at climbing, so I scaled the wall quickly, even with Mel on my back. He wasn't much, anyway. The sun was setting by then."

"We're almost there!"

"_And Mel, of course, did the idiot thing to do and looked down."_

"We're up _really _high!"

"Just hang on, we're―"

"_Of course, my hand slipped. But I was quick, and my first instincts kicked in. I pushed up and lunged for the edge. I caught it and pulled us both up, scattering us both apart as we rolled onto safer ground. After the shock__ rolled through we were able to laugh about it."_

"Th-that was scary! I thought we were going to die for sure!"

"I told you I'd protect you!"

"Yeah, you did! You did! My dad will never believe―"

_"When his expression changed and his face paled, I knew we we__re in trouble."_

"What?"

"I turned just in time to catch sight of the barrel of a double barrel shotgun in my face. There was an old guy standing there."

"You kids is trespassing on my land…I was told I could shoot up and one that get on my land without permission…"

"_I got up slowly, not to provoke. I placed my hands in submission."_

"We're sorry, Sir…We got lost and we didn't know this was your land…So, if we could just―"

"_It took him long enough to notice the bright flame on my forehead and the odd color of__ my eyes."_

"W-what are you, an alien?"

"What? No! I'm not an alien! I'm a human!"

"_He tightened up on his aim. I had enough by then and turned to help Mel up." _

"Come on, I have to get you somewhere safe."

"_I reached out for him, but the guy flipped the fu__ck out and cocked his gun."_

"Leave the human boy alone, Alien!"

"Look, Mister, I'm _not _an alien…"

"_Gaia told me later what her encounter with TC was like while Mel and I were trekking through the forest. Gaia found TC sitting at his desk quietly looking at some papers."_

"What are you doing that has left you so quiet?"

"Thinking..."

"Mm…that's new."

"Shut-up, this is serious."

"How so?"

"_She was surprised it was so quiet."_

"Where's Tsu at? I have to talk to him."

"He's gone…He ran away."

"_His tone was serious."_

"Don't joke like that! Where is he?"

"He ran way with Mel! He's gone, Gaia! I'm not joking around!"

"_He looked at her and she had taken a step away."_

"Why? What did you do?"

"_I _didn't do anything! He was snooping around in my office and found some papers he should have never seen! I lied to him about his past, and he found out the truth."

"His past, what are you talking about? I raised him when he was big enough to drink milk! What is there you're not telling me?"

"He wasn't created in a test-tube. No one does that."

"What, then? A surrogacy?"

"No, he has paternal parents."

"I'm not understanding what upset him."

"_I _am his father, Gaia."

"_She backed away from him more."_

"F-father? His _father_? You had sex with another woman in our _marriage _to make a baby you were going to end up smacking around all the time? You bastard! I can't believe you! You have a _daughter _that loves you and you decide to…I am so pissed at you right now. I'm going to find my half-son and be with _him_…and when I get back, we are through."

"Gaia, this isn't worth―"

"Done!"

"_She disappeared."_

"I will tell you one last time: get away from the human boy or I _will_ shoot you."

"Just do what he says, Tsu…I'm alright."

"Fine."

"_I stepped away from him." _

"See? He's fine. Now, put the gun down before someone _does _get hurt."

"Now drop to your knees!"

"What? No! Okay, I've had enough of this…"

"_I took a step, and along with the crunch of the leaves on the ground, I heard the echo of gun fire. I hit the ground gripping my right thigh."_

"Tsu!"

"_The blood was rushing quickly, so I covered it with both hands. I couldn't stop scre__aming, though I knew it was useless. There was no one else in the forest to hear me. Well, I was sure there wasn't. When the guy hit the ground unconscious, and Mel yelled for Gaia, I was kind of relieved. I stared at her through my blurred vision."_

"Are you alright?"

"Tsu! You have to help Tsu!"

"She came to my aid. By then I stopped yelling but I struggled to breathe from the fear I was in. She saw the blood seeping through my fingers, and instantly started to worry."

"What happened?"

"He was shot! He shot him!"

"I knew why she asked. She was there, but she wanted me to respond to her…She wanted to know it was _just my leg. She picked me up and stood tall."_

"There's a stream around here…"

"_Mel was still on the ground, a hand around his injured ankle. Gaia __took notice."_

"Can you walk?"

"_He got up, slow and steady." _

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good, let's go then."

_"The stream she took us to was slow moving and shallow, it only went up to the middle of Gaia's calves. Mel sat at the edge while we went into the water and __she sat, placing me into the chilled water, upright and between her legs. The water was stained sanguine."_

"Move your hands so the water will cleanse the wound."

"No, I won't…I'll bleed to death."

"No you won't, Baby…Just move your hands."

"No…"

"_She took the top hand and pulled it away."_

"I won't let you bleed out, Baby, I promise…"

"_Reluctantly, I moved my other hand away. The water took the blood with it. I leaned my head back to look at her face for a moment, and then I closed my eyes. The flam__e on my forehead died down. She pushed the bangs out of my face with her wet hand."_

"I understand why you're upset, Honey, but you need to go back."

"I'm not going back…He lied to me…All this time…and when I asked him for the truth, he couldn't even look at me…more or less tell me…All I wanted was the truth…"

"_I knew I was losing consciousness; my voice was low and I could barely feel as she scrubbed the blood from my hands. I only had one request." _

"Please, don't take me back there…"

_"I was awake for a w__hile longer. In that time she brought me from the water and laid me on the cool grass."_

"This might hurt a bit, Baby…but it will heal you."

"_I had half consciousness then and I couldn't really say anything. Mel never looked over. She placed her hand over t__he wound with an herbal leaf between them. She pressed down and I gasped in pain."_

"Sh...I know...I have to get the bullet out first..."

_"She lifted her hand away and the pressure stopped. She saw the gleam of the metal, and decided it was far enough out to pull. Of course, that meant more pain and more blood. But she quickly placed a new leaf on the wound and it began to heal. Eventually I slipped into sleep."_

_"She took us to an older cabin in the woods and quickly fixed it up. She left me under the charge of Mel and went to talk to TC. He was pacing around waiting for her."_

"What has gotten into you, Gaia?-"

"We are still through, but I need to talk to you...You owe him an apology; a _real _one. All he wanted of you was honesty, and he didn't get it. The time you decide to look away you should not have. He is _your _child, and _you _must take responsibility. I will not go until it is done because I am going to protect him from any more hurt. He was _shot _out there! He would be _dead _if it weren't for me!"

"Shot? Where?"

"His thigh, and _yes_, shot. You don't realize what lengths he's willing to go because of this."

"I'll apologize...I'll tell him the truth. But will he come home?"

_"She smiled."_

"Yes, he'll come _home._"

_"I woke up, wrapped and warm, in a bed. Mel was in a chair beside me, his head rested on the bed itself. I jolted up, thinking I was back home, and scared Mel awake."_

"Where are we? I told her not to bring me back!"

"N-no, we're not back...She found this place out here abandoned...she fixed it up in a snap!"

_"I breathed out in relief and felt the dizziness of the blood loss take over."_

"Where is she?"

"She went to talk to Mr. TC, I think...And to tell my dad I'm okay."

_"He took up a bag from the floor."_

"Mrs. Gaia said you should eat...It'll help replenish your blood."

"I can't eat, Mel..."

"But-"

_"I looked at him with a look of concern, having mentally forgotten the food issue."_

"Your ankle, is it alright?"

"Mhm...she healed it."

_"I looked at my hands and felt shame."_

"Good...I'm sorry for dragging you into all this..."

"Don't be! I always have so much fun when I'm with you! My dad would never let me do any of this!"

_"I smiled slightly, but turned my head in such a way that my bangs covered my closed eyes. That's when the door opened and Gaia returned. She sat beside me on the bed and pulled me into her arms."_

"How do you feel, Honey? Did you eat anything?"

"No...I can't."

"It will help you, though..."

"I can't eat...I feel too dizzy..."

_"She held me tighter. I started to cry then and there; the emotions of the entire situation just...taking over...Mel had never seen me cry so much before; I was supposed to be tough and indestructible. But the situation I was in caused me to break all my barriers. It wasn't him being my dad that upset me, it was the fact that he never told me that tipped me off. The door opened again." _

"Gaia-Oh..."

_"I looked at him, and for once, I didn't try to hide my tears. He took a deep breath and walked over."_

_"Come on..." _

_"He took my arm and pulled me away from Gaia, and then took me outside."_

"L-let go of me!"

"Shut-up."

"You're hurting me! Let go!"

"I said to shut-up!"

_"He bent over and stared straight into my eyes, never loosening his grip on my arm."_

"I'm trying to apologize to you! That's what you want, isn't it? You want me to tell you the truth. Yes, I lied to you about it. I am your father! I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to become attached to me...I didn't want you to see me as a father. I knew that with everything I was going to put you through, you shouldn't know. And it was to help me, too. I _always _feel guilty for what I've done, but that's not going to do either of us any good when the time comes and my brother tries to take over. There's your truth."

_"I smiled and then grabbed onto him in a hug."_

"Thank you, TC...I've always seen you as my father, I look up to you for everything...You, and Mel, and Gaia are all I have...Without any of you, I don't know _what _I'd do..."

_"I stepped back and he let go. He was stunned into silence. I faltered and collapsed to my knees. I spoke before he could say anything."_

"I'm okay...I'm just dizzy...I think I lost too much blood..."

_"He picked me up and carried me inside."_

"Come on...let's go home now, alright?"

~End of flashback~

~"Our relationship got no better, and no worse. Of course, there were times where I realized the things he said to me were fatherly...or sometimes when I was actually pretty hurt he was there."~

"Wow...That's kinda weird, in its own little way."

_"Please take your seats...We will be making our descent into London shortly. Turn off all electrical devices and secure all carry-ons. Thank you."_

We walked through the airport in Rome. "Wow, this is pretty cool...I'm glad these translator things still work...I can actually understand what they're saying."

"Yeah, I'm not _always _the bad guy!"

"Where is Gokudera...Gah, this is going to drive me insane!"

I looked around again, still not seeing him. "TC, do you have _any _idea where he is?"

"Not a clue..."

I sat in a chair. "We're going to be here..._forever_."

TC sat beside me. "No we're not, just chill out."

I placed my head in my hands, and leaned my elbows on my knees. "I can't sit in an airport anymore...I think I'll go insane..."

"Tenth!"

"Oh thank God!"

I looked up and Gokudera was running up to us. "I'm sorry, Tenth!"

He got on one knee and bowed. I got up and looked around, face hot from embarrassment. "I-It's okay, Gokudera...You don't have to..."

I sighed, knowing it was futile. "Can we just...go, please? I think I'm getting airport sick."

He stood up quickly. "You're sick?"

"No...I _just_...I _can't_...Let's go!" I dragged my bag forward as I left them both behind.

We drove out to the country and came up on a mansion in the middle of what looked like a wild grassland. "That's it?" I asked.

Gokudera was beaming in the driver's seat. "That's it…Every last square inch will be yours once you finish the ceremony."

"I have bigger," TC stated nonchalantly.

The golden gates opened and we drove around the circular driveway until we reached the front. Gokudera opened my door and let me out. I looked around. The grass inside the gates was manicured to perfection, as were the bushes and trees. Outside the gates, the grasses were tall and untamed. There was a fountain in the middle of the driveway, and from a golden crest, the water fell. The mansion itself was of large size. The building was as long as it was wide, and tall. TC walked up to the doors. "This crest, what does it mean?"

"It's the family crest," Gokudera said. "Your father, Tenth, created it to be unlike any other…While he didn't really want it to be too intricate, he wanted it to make an impression. That it has." He had my bags in his grip and he started to walk to the doors. "Come on, the others are waiting!"

I walked up just as he opened the doors. The smell of vanilla and baked bread met my nose. I stepped inside. There were two spiral staircases on opposite walls in the foyer. The far wall had glass plated doors that showed the back yard and all the green inside the gates. "Good afternoon, Boss!"

I looked up. From the staircase on the left came down a red-headed man. He stopped in front of me. "I am Irie Shoichi, the technical engineer and inventor for the family. Anything you see that uses electricity, I remanufactured to be efficient."

"It's nice to meet you, Irie...but, I'm not the boss yet."

"I'm getting used to it..."

"Boss!" Chrome ran and caught me in a flying hug.

"H-hey, Chrome!"

"I've missed you so much, Boss!"

I blushed slightly. "Me too…"

"Tsuna-kun, you made it!"

Chrome let go of me and stepped back. Enma stood on the bottom steps with Lambo at his side. "Yeah…Definitely."

Lambo ran up to me, a lot taller since the last time I had seen him. He looked more like a human child, than a cow child. "Tsuna-san is much taller than Lambo now, Nyahahaha!"

I rolled my eyes, smiled, and ruffled his hair. "Yeah. I'm _much_ taller now."

"I'll say; the last time I saw you, you were small."

Mika walked up and placed her hand on my shoulder. Lambo grabbed onto Enma's arm and pulled him to the side. "I want my ice cream, Enma!"

"We'll get it in a minute, Lambo…Tsuna-kun hasn't settled in yet."

There was a crash from another room, and a door burst open. I noticed Irie flinch and Gokudera's expression turn cold. "EXTREME!"

"Hahaha, that was pretty good, Senpai!"

"Oy!" Gokudera yelled. "What did I tell you about the mansion?"

Yamamoto and Ryohei strode over. "What are you going to do about it, Octopus-Head?"

They bumped heads. "What was that, Turf-Top?"

"Mah, mah…" Yamamoto pitched in.

I laughed nervously. "You guys are all the same…"

They looked at me, all commotion stopped. "You sure have gained a command on them, Tsunayoshi…"

"I-I didn't really try, Kyouya-san…I thought that was your job, keeping order."

"I would have if I had gotten here sooner."

The dark haired, dark eyed teenager glared at me, but smirked slightly. "It's nice to see you _alive_."

"Same with you guys…Has it been quiet on your end?"

"Fairly…"

I all out smiled. "I'm glad…"

"What are you waiting for, Tsuna! Settle in so I can get my ice cream!"

Mika lifted him up and held him close. "I'll get you some ice cream…"

"Yay!"

They walked off, Lambo giggling like a child should. Gokudera walked up the stairs with my things and left me with my long lost friends. "Do you like America?"

"It's alright…I'm not entirely used to everything yet…"

"You will be."

"I guess so…"

Enma and Chrome each grabbed one of my hands. "You have to look around, Tsuna-kun! This is incredible!"

"Come on, Boss!"

"O-okay!" They pulled me forward and through a passage into another room. The others followed behind us. "How come you don't talk that much to us, Hibari?"

"Because I don't like you."

"What was that!?"

"Calm down, Senpai…"

There were a few maids standing together by a closet. They watched as they pulled me past. "Good afternoon, Boss!"

"H-Hello!" I called back as we went into another room. There was a mahogany table in the center of the room surrounded by ten chairs of the same wood. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling over the middle of the table. "Is this the dining room?" I asked once they had let me go. They both turned to face me. "Yep."

"Wow…I couldn't imagine eating every meal around a table this big…"

"We ate breakfast here this morning…"

"They had the cooks bring the food out and serve it to us based on what we wanted!"

Irie stepped forward after being so silent. "They are all willing to serve you, Boss…The chef knew your father personally…The chief maid was a friend as well…They have only passed on good things to every new staff member. They are very eager to know you on a personal level, as well."

"H-How did this all come about, exactly?"

"Your father set the family up as a place for the Ten of the new generation to go once you turned 16, regardless of whether the threat of Hades' reign remained or not. The original Ten knew they were going to die protecting you even before the time would come for you to learn the true potential that you hold."

"That's our job now, as well, Tenth…" Gokudera stated as he walked into the room. "There is still so much you can learn, and we're here to protect you, lest we be put to death."

Irie looked at his wrist watch, then at Gokudera. "You should probably show him to his room and help him get ready for the ceremony. The decorators are already setting up the theater."

"Come on, Tenth…"

I followed Gokudera back out into the hall. "Do they really want to know me?"

"Of course…They want to know that you're a good boss."

"I'll try my best…"

"You won't have to try…"

The ceremony started an hour later. All the staff, the Ten, except for Gokudera, and TC were sitting out in the seats. I walked onto the stage and stood in front of Gokudera. He got down on one knee and bowed slowly. "Like a Knight in Shining Armor, I will be loyal to you. Like the Stars in the Midnight Sky, I will be a guide for you. Your destiny lies in my protecting hands; I will not fail you. I shall not betray you, lest I be put to death…" He stood back up and took my left hand. "I bestow upon you the crest of the family…" He slid a ring onto my finger. "This ring has been in the family since it has been in existence, and holds great value."

I stared at the blue orb in the center, which closely resembled the backs of my gloves. Inside the crest was inscribed. "Do you promise to uphold the laws of the family, just as we have promised to protect you?"

"I do promise."

"Do you swear, that in any event, you will not give up on your duty as our boss, nor will you abuse the power you have been given, so help you God?"

"I do swear, so help me God…"

Irie came up to me after I had gotten off the stage. "You did great, Boss…"

I smiled and wiped away the sweat on my forehead. "Did I? I'm glad it's over."

"I'm curious, though…How come you were missing a Guardian?"

"She didn't believe this was happening."

"But I talked to her over the phone many times…she knew this was happening."

"What? She knew? B-but, she told me that she didn't believe it."

"True, she has weird ways, being the daughter of Mother Nature and Zeus, but I still don't see why she wasn't here…"

TC walked over. "She didn't _want _to be here."

I looked at him. "Why not? Isn't this like…a big thing?"

He smiled slightly. "When it comes to you, she cares too much. She knew she'd be crying herself sick if she were here right now. More than that, she wanted you to take a big step on your own without her…She's been helping you out since you were six years old…It's about time she let you go off on your own."

* * *

OKAY. So, chapter 5 is in the works...There's a lot to come...Plus, my brother (TC) helped me come up with a SWEEETSWEEEET idea for the summer of 2017 so be ready for the COOLEST online summer vacation you will ever have...That will be coming up in the next...I don't know...5 or six chapters? But before that, I have some people to introduce...  
Keep reading, okay?


	5. A New Threat

A/N: FINALLY IT'S DONE..AFTER ALL THE PAINFUL PROCRASTINATION. (Now with months to give an added effect!)

* * *

Chapter 5: A New Threat

DECEMBER 2016

_ When I got home, I felt much different. It's not like I was really any different. The second the ring was on my finger, I just felt transformed. I felt braver, like I had something to fight for all of a sudden. All along I did, but I never noticed. I asked KT about what TC had said, and she didn't deny it then. I would have never expected her to burst out into tears in front of me like she did. I assured her I would do my best. She didn't deny that, either._

I returned to school the day after I got home. I sat in first block honors chemistry with Ty right beside me. He handed over a folder. "Everything you missed."

"Thanks…" I set it on the desk and opened it up. All the work was already done, and the notes written out. "You're the best, Ty."

He smirked and shrugged. There was a knock at the door and then it opened. The principal, Mr. Balderrama, walked in with a stereotypical cheerleader looking girl: blonde hair up in a bow, tight shirt and a short skirt with white tennis shoes. She was slightly tanned, wore all kinds of make-up, and had cherry red lips. ~Yep, typical cheerleader type.~

"Mr. Janus!" Mr. Balderrama said loudly. We all knew Mr. Janus was partially deaf, even if he wouldn't admit it. He was just that stubbornly old. The old man turned from the board and looked at him. "Yes? You don't have to yell…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Janus, but this is Taylor."

~She's definitely a cheerleader.~

He slowly walked to his bookshelf and grabbed a chemistry book and then made his way to where she would sit, which conveniently, was at the desk to my right. "Just…come sit here," he told her. She walked over in a bouncy way, and sat in the chair, instantly crossing her legs. She was chewing gum and she smelled like expensive perfume. "Hey," she said placing her hand on my desk. I looked at her, a bit surprised. "You're talking to me?"

"Of course, who else?"

"Oh, yeah…of course."

She giggled in a very annoying way, which under normal circumstances would put me on edge, but I was actually drawn into it. There was something about her that made me like her. "So, what is there to do around here?"

"Well, it's winter and there's snow on the ground, so, not much…Well, that's not true…I've heard there's a hill outside of town that a farmer opens up to the public to ride their sleds down after it snows."

"That's child's play…I'm talking about night life…Parties and such."

"Parties? There are parties all the time."

"Oh, well then I'll never be bored."

"You like to party?" ~She's probably serious, too…~

"Definitely! Don't you?"

I broke out into a cold sweat. I knew that day would start a chain of fabricated stories that ultimately could end me in deeper trouble. "Sure…I go to every party there is…"

Ty nudged me with his elbow. "What are you doing?"

I knew from his expression what he meant. "Don't worry…"

"I'm not worried…I just pray you don't get yourself into something you can't fix."

"I'm smarter than that, Ty…Give me a little bit of credit."

"Right because, after all, you're the one that does all the work."

"Shut-up, you work at Wal-Mart."

"It's a legitimate occupation, don't give me that."

I turned away and back to Taylor. She leaned over to the side slightly to look at Ty and then straightened up to look back at me. "Is he your brother?"

"Yeah, kind of. It's pretty complicated, actually."

Ty grabbed my sleeve and pulled. "Tsuna, we have test in here today, you need to pay attention to the review."

"Fine, alright…" I turned and faced forward. "What is wrong with you today? You're really moody."

"Not that you care, but I had a really tough work day yesterday."

"You make it sound like I never care about what you have to say."

"Because you usually don't."

I frowned. "Really?"

"That's how it comes off." He looked at me. "You've become a totally different person since we came here…It's like I don't know you anymore...You've lost your compassion…Those things that made you the way you were in Japan…you don't have those things anymore…"

"I admit…I haven't really been myself, but I _can_ change that."

Mr. Janus was passing out the tests. I grabbed my mechanical pencil and started on the test, but I couldn't help but hear the words he said kept repeating in my mind.

I broke off with Ty after school and headed straight for home. KT was cleaning in the kitchen when I got home. "KT…Can I talk to you?"

She set the broom against the wall. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I don't like who I am right now, and I want to know how I can fix it."

She seemed frozen in time with my words. "Wh-What brought this on?"

"I've noticed lately how I've been acting…and Ty pointed it out to me as well…I don't want it to be this way, KT…But I don't know how to go back."

"You can't go back, Tsuna…"

"Then what am I supposed to do!"

She took my hands into her own. "You have to go _forward. _Change who you are for the _better_, but do not go back."

"How does that even make _sense_? You're saying to move forward and change to who I was, but not to go back? That's a contradiction, isn't it?"

"No. I'm telling you to be who you were _without _walking backwards…Look to the future for help, not the past, Tsuna." She let go and stepped back. "You're trying to fit in here…I understand that, but be yourself. You'll fit in fine."

After dinner I knocked on Ty's bedroom door. "Hey, Ty, can I talk to you?"

"It's open, you know…"

I pushed open the door and peered inside. "Ty, I really need to apologize about earlier…"

I walked inside, closed the door, and continued to walk in. "I realize that I've changed…I've made myself someone I'm not so I can fit in…It's just…I want so bad to get along without getting picked on like I was in elementary and middle school…"

He turned in his computer chair completely and leaned his arms on the top of the back cushion. "And this is where we start blaming me."

"No, no…I mean, yes, you were the main part of my torture, but that's not my problem. Even if you _hadn't_ continued during middle school, I would have had that brand on me that I was weak, that I was fair game…I'm saying that I want to get out there that I am not as weak as I seem _before _I become a target…" I sat on the edge of his bed. "That's the reason…"

"It's only a defense mechanism…I understand your trouble, but there are better ways to deal with it…You should have talked to me, or even KT."

"I know…It's wrong that I'm doing it now…But I can do it, I can change."

He smiled and leaned his head sideways on his arms. "I think TC has a big impact on your attitude, too…"

~"Would have never guessed."~

"Hey, shut-up…You have no room to talk."

~"Actually, I do…because of your position."~

"Well, whatever he said to you, I'm sure he's right...I want so badly to stick some sort of device in your head that would amplify his talking to you...That would be an _amazing _scientific breakthrough."

"I'm just a walking scientific breakthrough, Ty."

"With an ego."

~"Join the club."~

I let the days go by as I tried to change myself back to the way I used to be, but it was harder than I thought. The time of winter vacation came around on the 16th of December. That day, Taylor asked me out on a "date". "Meet me at Michael's Sandwich shop tonight around...6:30. We'll eat and then I'm going to introduce you to the club I found."

Ty and I were walking down the street to meet KT at Subway when a car drove into the driveway in front of us and stopped. TC stepped out of the car. "Hey guys!"

We looked at him and then the car. "Nice car, TC..."

"I know, and it's yours."

I looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. It's an early Christmas present."

I had just gotten the hard copy of my license. I ran to the driver's side and overlooked the car. It was a metallic orange Nissan 350Z. "I can't believe this!"

"Knock yourself out kid...Just don't crash it, okay?"

"Yeah...Ty! Get in!"

He got into the passenger side front seat. "Dude...This is awesome."

I backed out of the drive way and took off down the road. "Check the speed on this thing! That didn't even take more than a few seconds!"

"Watch the speed limit!"

"I am, don't worry! I just got my license; I don't need a ticket on my record already."

I pulled into the Subway parking lot, and KT was waiting outside. I got out and locked it once Ty was out. "I see he found you."

"This is amazing! My first car…"

"I would have preferred something Volkswagen, but my dad would not give up on this car for you. He said Volkswagens don't look good orange…I think I agree."

"I love this car…I _promise_ I will take really good care of it!"

"I know you will…You'll be paying the insurance."

"Seriously?"

"Yep…"

"Ah, that's not really a problem, I suppose."

Then the attitude shifted. "So, what's this date I'm hearing about?"

"What? Oh, with Taylor? It's not a 'date', really…we're just going to hang out."

"Guys and girls don't just simply 'hang out' any more…They date, or they don't. And if it's not dating, they're friends with benefits, and I know for certain that you are not a friend with benefits, nor do you need one."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…Pause…Girls and guys can't hang out anymore without being either A) considered dating or B) having sex with each other?"

"Or both."

"That's definitely _not _right, because I see them hang around with each other all the time without a problem…Taylor is like…a cheerleader and popular girl extreme. There's no way they would label us together if all we're doing is going to Michael's Sandwich shop to eat and then go hang out at some teenage night club…"

"Oh, well I didn't know that part. A night club? Where?"

"She said it was in town somewhere…There's nothing wrong with it…It's just music and dancing…"

She was weary a moment. "I trust you…Just…try to be home tonight by midnight…I know it's a Friday, but I don't want to be up past twelve worrying about you."

"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

She frowned. "I know you can…I still want you to be careful."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I will…You know I will. I hate danger as much as the next guy…and I'm not really into the partying crowd…No drinks unless I get it myself…I know all the precautions, KT…Believe it or not I paid attention in class."

"For once," Ty added.

"Alright…Don't forget, midnight."

"I got it…" I kissed her forehead and got in my car, turned it on, and waved before I drove off.

Michael's was pretty empty when I got there. Taylor was sitting in a booth close to the back of the shop. "Hey, you look pretty lonely."

"I'm not anymore," she said and smiled as I sat across from her. "What, do you think I'll bite you?" She patted the spot beside her. "You _can _sit next to me…"

I slid out and to her side. "I'm used to sitting opposite of someone when I talk to them, that's all…"

"You're really funny…I find it hard to believe that you're still single…"

"I thought the same thing about you…I'm actually surprised you're hanging out with me in the first place…"

"Well, I thought you were a partier…I thought you knew pretty much everyone at the school."

"I-uh-I wasn't exactly _truthful _about that…"

"Have you _ever _been to a party?"

"Well, yes, but…not really a big one here…I had parties back home."

"Where is home, then?"

"Japan…"

She turned slightly and leaned her arm on the table, and looked genuinely interested. "Really? I didn't know that…I couldn't tell."

I felt kinda sick then. Not like I was _going _to be sick, but a deep feeling something was wrong. I knew my intuition could kick in whenever it wanted, but it had never been so strong. I took a deep breath, and shuddered. "Are you okay?"

She placed a hand on my leg. Her touch felt like a sharp stabbing pain. "S-sure…I'm fine."

She moved closer. "You don't look fine."

I had broken out into a cold sweat that beaded up on my upper lip and on my forehead. "I'll be right back…"

I got up and walked into the bathroom. ~What the hell is going on?~

I looked in the mirror. I looked physically tired. ~"You might want to be careful…I'm getting a pretty bad feeling here, as well…"~

~Careful about what? There's no threat.~

~"I don't know…just be cautious."~

I walked back out after splashing my face with water and drying it off. I stood by the booth. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...I just haven't eaten in a while…"

"You should get something, then…I don't want you passing out on me at the club…"

"Right…Let me go get something and I'll be back…" I walked up to the counter. Michael, the store owner, walked up. "What can I get you today?"

"A special BLT and bottle of Pepsi, please Sir…"

He walked over to the deli case and brought out the meats and grabbed the bread. "You're at the high school, right?"

"Yeah…"

"My son is the quarter back…"

"He's great at what he does, I suppose."

"Do you play sports, Son?"

"No, Sir, I have pretty brittle bones, so I have to stay away from most sports."

He walked over to the vegetable table with the meat piled bread. "Let me tell you something about dedication…My son has played football since he was old enough to run…I like to say he learned to run before he could walk…but dedication…if you have a devotion to something, you follow through with it."

I nodded. "I'll remember that, Sir."

He placed the sandwich into a basket with a bag of chips and handed over a Pepsi bottle. "Six dollars and fifty cents."

I handed over the money and walked back to Taylor and sat beside her again. "Eat, you should feel better."

I opened the soda and drank from it and instantly felt better. ~Odd that I still get a reaction from this since I've gained so much power…~

~"Not entirely…You're not really reacting to it; your body still recognizes it as an activation agent…Your body is just used to it, and causes it to be calm."~

~Thanks for the information…~

~"You were the one wondering…"~

"How do you feel?" she asked. Her hand was instantly back to my leg, but there was no pain. I placed the cap back on the bottle and placed it on the table. "I feel much better now, thanks…"

"Alright, well, eat quick…We have a night ahead of us…"

I ate most of my sandwich in silence. "You know," she said after a while. "You don't _have _to be single."

I looked at her. ~KT WAS RIGHT. DAMNIT I HATE THAT!~ "What do you mean?"

"I _mean…_" she moved closer as she spoke, her hand on my thigh her support. "You could hook up with me…"

My face was hot, but there was no where I could hide. "What? You and me? That's-that's crazy…"

"No it's not…It's perfect. I think I can really make you happy…"

She buried her face into my neck and giggled; the heat from her breath tickled my skin. ~This is too strange for me…~

~"Yeah, I really think you need to assess your situation…"~

She moved back. "Let's get going, if you feel alright…"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

I got up and threw out my trash, then placed the empty basket on the counter. We walked outside into the cooling air. "So, where is this place, exactly?"

"It's close…"

"You want to use my car?"

"Where we're going, you won't need your car…Just leave it here and pick it up when you go home."

"Okay, that sounds reasonable."

We walked down the sidewalk some. She moved closer and wrapped her arm around my upper torso. "I think you'll like this place…Lots of loud, heart pumping music…Non-stop dancing…A bar…And then, there's the _lounge_."

"The lounge?"

"Yeah, the walls are sound proof, so those who want to chill from the ear splitting sound can go hang in this room…"

"Awesome…Sounds like a cool place."

She chuckled. "Yes it does…"

We walked down a short alley way to a door. She knocked and the door opened. "What do you want?"

"Come on, Chuck, you don't have to do that 'scary guy' act…"

"Sup, Taylor…" He opened the door and then saw me. "Who's this?"

"He's with me…He's my boyfriend."

"Ah, alright…Come on in and enjoy…"

I walked past with Taylor, and instantly a deep, drowning feeling entered my body. We entered through another closed doorway and music exploded into life. People were dancing everywhere, the bar was crowded. She pulled me inside. "Come on!"

We joined the dancing group and fit ourselves right in. A woman in tight fit clothing came up with a tray. "Have a Club Drink! It's on the house!"

"Sure!"

Taylor and I each grabbed one and drank them down. "Whoo! That's a rush!"

"You'll need it!"

* * *

KT was staring at the digital clock on the stove, the kitchen dark, and the numbers glowing green. _**He should be home by now…He promised me midnight…Promised…**_She got up and walked into the living room and looked outside. There were occasional passing cars. "Is he back yet?"

She looked over at Ty, who had come out from his room, and shook her head. "No…I'm really worried."

"He's many things," Ty said, "but stupid is not one of them…"

"Stupid no…Vulnerable, maybe."

* * *

I never once wanted to check the time. I was in a state of euphoria, and I didn't want to come down. We danced what seemed like an hour away, but it was actually a few. I lost all concept of time. Any feeling I had felt threatened about had been drowned out by the bass and the boom. Every once in a while the waitress came around with drinks, and we threw them back like shots. Taylor tugged on my arm. "Let's go to the lounge!" she yelled over the music. I nodded and let her drag me there. She opened the door and once we stepped inside, all sound had ceased to exist. My ears were ringing, and my hands were shaking like they were suddenly deprived of something vital. There were a few others inside just chatting. We sat on the pure white leather sectional. "You want a drink?"

"Sure…"

I could hear her clearly, even through the ringing in my ears. It sounded almost mechanical. She came back with a glass. Inside was the bluest liquid I had ever seen. It smelled like a mixture of something fruity and alcohol. Regardless, I chugged it down as if my life really depended on it. It felt like an electric shock jolting through the veins of my body. Every dark feeling crashed over me at once, and rendered me immobile, just as the lights blew out in the room.

"Just as soon…you did such a wonderful job, he will be proud."

I opened my eyes slowly, but found them to be covered. The next thing I noticed was the bindings around my wrists and ankles. They scratched against the bare skin. The blindfold was suddenly ripped away and light and the image of my surroundings entered my vision. Above me was a teenage boy, his features twisted into an expression of pure hate. "Welcome…to Hell."

What surprised me first was that he spoke to me in Japanese, but also that his voice was something of familiar. "I've been through Hell, and let me tell you…It's nothing like this."

"You sure are as cocky as I've been told…"

"Who are you? What is it that I've done that I'm being strapped to a table for?"

"You are the reason my people have fallen; the reason that Japan is under siege!"

"Whoa, whoa…What are you talking about? Japan, last I knew, was just fine."

"Don't test me; we both see who has the upper hand here."

"I'm still not understanding…What are you talking about? If I've caused some horrible disaster, I'd like to know…"

"I am not from your time…Instead, I am from a future where your actions in this time have caused the downfall of Japan and all its people…I am the angel sent for your life."

"You're here to kill me? Why don't you just…show me what's wrong and make me fix it like everyone else does?"

"It's not my decision…"

"Well, then whose is it because…I'd like to repeal."

"Lucky for you, I can't kill you yet…Taylor!"

She walked into the room carrying a syringe filled with a liquid much like I had drank before I passed out. The table I was on leaned forward so my head was angled away from the floor. I was inclined almost completely vertical with the floor. I looked over at the man and Taylor. She grinned and stepped towards me, holding up the syringe. "You remember when you said you and I would be crazy?"

"Of course, it turns out that the first slutty-cheerleader-type-girl that asks me out actually wants to kill me. It figures."

She stuck the needle into my neck quickly. "I would watch what you say..."

I couldn't speak. The man came face to face with me. "I'm sure you want to know who I am, right? I am Notics Lucim Caliber...and once I get the okay, I'm going to kill you."

The needle was wrenched from my neck and tossed away. I felt numb; every bit of me. ~"Tsuna! You have to try and resist the numbness! They're trying to paralyze you!"~

My other's voice was barely audible. I tried to formulate thoughts. ~...I...I _can't_...~

~"You can! You have to! They know you're strong! That's why they're doing this to you! They don't want you to fight! You HAVE to fight it, Tsuna!"~

I groaned and my head rolled to the side. ~Fight it...I have to...fight it...~ I closed my eyes, but there was still light. I focused on it, and the numbness went away. I opened my eyes and stared straight into my captors eyes. He stepped back. _**His eyes have changed...Has he found a way to change over without an agent?**_

I struggled against the bindings that kept me still until they broke. I collapsed to the ground and onto my hands and knees. ~I can't believe this! I can activate without the pills!~

I looked up. Notics had a large sword in his grip. "This is impossible!"

I stood up. "Nothing is impossible."

Taylor lunged at me from behind with a knife, and I quickly turned and caught her arm. I tightened my grip, and felt that something wasn't right. Just as he came after me, I dodged to the right and pulled her arm with me. The fabric that was her skin pulled off and revealed the wiring underneath. ~A robot!?~

She looked at me with cold, emotionless eyes. "Do you still think I'm pretty?"

I dodged him again. ~I have no weapons!~

~"If you do everything I tell you, you can get out of there...but you have to follow my exact instructions!"~

~I don't have my gloves!~

~"You don't need them! Just do what I say!"~

~Okay!~

I leaped over Notics and landed in a kneeling position. ~"Set up for Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised! I'm going to teach you the REAL move right now!"~

I got up and positioned myself. The flame erupted on my forehead and flickered. ~"Now think about the coldest you have ever been...think about ice! About something _unbreakable_."~

I closed my eyes. ~...I've been cold before...never physically...I am cold when I know I am alone...I am cold when all I have are my thoughts, which never says anything good...I am cold, here...and I don't like being cold...~ It felt like ice was enveloping my heart. I opened my eyes and saw Notics was a few feet away. I stepped to the side and pushed him away. On his back, ice formed. Unbreakable, and unable to be melted, ice.

* * *

It was afternoon outside. Ty was searching around my car for any traces of struggle. KT was trying to picture my surroundings, anything that would help her find me. "There's nothing here, KT!"

"He's around here! I know he is! I just can't get a clear picture!"

Down the block, a door slammed open. She looked up as the picture cleared.

* * *

I got away from Notics and Taylor and tried to find a way out. I ran up a flight of stairs and found a door where the light came in around the cracks. I kicked it open and ran out into the daylight. I took a deep breath. ~I did it! I did it!~

~"Don't just stand there, get away!"~

"Oh, right!"

I kept running through the alley until I reached the street. I was only taken a block away from where the "club" was. I compressed the flame on my forehead and used the extra power to run in the direction of my car. KT and Ty were standing at my car when I got close enough to see. "Guys!"

They looked over. "Tsuna!"

I stopped and took a deep breath. KT pulled me into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"I think so..."

She held me out. "What happened?"

"I now have someone _else_ after my life...Figures, I wouldn't ever actually have any _peace_..."

* * *

A/N: Alright...This is just getting started.


	6. Holiday or Bust

A/N: Finally! Updated...

* * *

Chapter 6: Holiday or Bust

December 2016

Ty and I spent our next Sunday morning running through town, while most other people were in church. There was fresh snow on the ground, and more blanketing the cars. A couple of people braved the cold, but they had a large cup of Starbucks Coffee in their hand. I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck. "Ty, why are we out here at eight in the morning? It's freezing…"

"I have a theory to test…Show me where you went Friday. Everywhere you went, and in order."

I stood still and looked around. "We went to the cafe over there and then crossed over here…" I started walking again until I reached the alley where the club was. "Then we came down here…"

Ty went into the alley and looked around. "Where?"

"The door to your right."

"What door? There is no door."

"What?" I walked around. "Th-this _is _the alley…I swear! There _was _a door here!"

"I believe you, Tsuna…I just…I thought that maybe she had done something that messed with your mind a bit…like a poison, for instance. You _did _eat before you came this way."

"Yeah, that's possible."

I leaned against the brick. "It's not your fault, Tsuna. You didn't know. They could have _killed _you."

I fiddled with the wraps around my wrists before I crossed my arms and shivered. Ty reached up and pulled the scarf tight around my neck. "There was no way you could have known _why _you felt the way you did." He pulled the fur lined winter hat off his head and stuck it on mine. "This whole _Zero Point Breakthrough_ thing has caused a major drop in your body temperature…You really need to dress better in the winter now."

"Thanks, Ty." I adjusted the hat to fit snugly. "Now what?"

"We can go home. We probably shouldn't be here long, anyway."

We got into my car and quickly turned the heat on. "Remind me to never let you drag me out early the weekend our vacation starts. I could have been sleeping."

"Right…Just hit me, will ya?"

I backed out and then stopped abruptly as another vehicle met my back bumper. "Aw man!"

The other driver and I got out of our cars spouting apologies until we realized who we were talking to. ~Aw man…~

Kevin Baker, the quarter back of the football team, looked me and my car over. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Sawada?"

"I _was _trying to go home."

He got really close, and compared to his six foot-three inches, I was a string bean, short and skinny. "Don't get smart with me…I _will _knock you out."

~I don't doubt that…~ "Sorry…"

"Yo! Kevin!"

We both looked over at the first female linebacker in Solon High School history. "Leave him alone, will ya? Take the dent _you caused _and get it fixed."

He looked at me. "You're lucky, _this time_."

He got in his car and drove off. "Geez, I'm sorry he's such a douche bag. He does that on purpose. He really would have knocked you out."

"Yeah, I didn't really like the picture of me hanging from the flag pole from my underwear."

She chuckled. "I've seen you around school, but I've never formally met you. "I'm Ashley."

"I'm Tsuna…my bro Ty is in the car…"

He got out and leaned on the side. "Hey, Ashley!"

"Hello, Ty!"

"Tsuna, you wanted to go home, remember?"

She laughed. "It's pretty cold out here, I don't blame you."

I nodded. "Yeah…What are you doing out here?"

"Tsuna!"

"Okay! Chill out, Ty!"

"I'll see you later…" She jumped up onto the sidewalk. "Oh! There's going to be a big New Year's Eve party at the school…Will I see you there?"

I leaned on the open car door. "Not sure…I'm not really a big partier…I prefer to celebrate at home."

"I see why…Well, if I don't see you…Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…"

"You, too." I got inside and closed the door. "She's a jock?"

"Mhm…She's really smart, too."

I backed out of the space successfully and drove home.

December 25, 2016

I sat in the window seat in my room and looked outside at the snow falling in the early morning. I was subconsciously rubbing my wrist where the wraps remained after my struggle against the restraints. There was a knock on the door. "C-Come in."

KT opened the door and peered in. "Hey…You're up early…"

"I never went to sleep…"

She walked in carrying two steaming mugs. "I made some hot chocolate…"

She sat across from me and extended one to me. I took it and breathed in the scent. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome…" She looked out at the snow. "The snow is beautiful…So pure…I wish the world could be that way sometimes…Pure, no evil…A world where I never have to worry…"

I sipped from the mug and kept my gaze on the outside world. I felt her eyes on me. She set her mug on the window sill. "You've been having nightmares again…"

I moved the mug away from my face slowly and looked at it. "How can you tell…"

"You talk in your sleep…"

I placed the mug next to hers. I went back to subconsciously rubbing my wrist. "I can't even sleep anymore…"

She watched my wrist. "You don't have anything to be afraid of, Tsuna…You know you're safe here." She took hold of my hands, jerking me out of my haze. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" I looked at my hands. "What?"

"You've been rubbing your wrists…"

"I have? I had no idea."

She squeezed my hands. "How come you haven't come to me about this?"

"I want to deal with this on my own…I think it is about time I deal with my problems by myself."

"But sometimes there are things you need help with…"

I looked out at the snow again. "Later…I don't want to ruin Christmas…"

She pulled me close and stroked the back of my neck gently. "Okay…Later, then…"

* * *

"Don't move your wrists yet…I need to check and see if they still need to be wrapped."

I nodded, not moving. Ty looked them over. "I think they'll be okay…Do you want them covered?"

"Nah, that's okay."

"_Boys! It's time for Breakfast!_"

"We're coming!" Ty and I called together. I hopped down from the bathroom counter and followed him out of the bathroom. We sat at the island in the kitchen. I nudged him slightly. "What did you wish for, Ty?"

"What do you mean 'what did I wish for'?"

"What did you wish to get for Christmas?"

"I didn't _wish _for anything…"

KT stacked food on our plates. "That's a lie…You gave me your wish list at the beginning of the month."

I looked at him and smirked. "Oh really?"

"Shut up…" He blushed slightly. "I'm used to Christmas shopping lists having to be made…"

"Right…"

"I was at least able to_ find _what he wanted…You, on the other hand, I had to go off of what I know."

"Hey, you know I'll like everything and anything you get me…It was the same way when we would celebrate years and years ago…I was like…8 when you started buying small, already decorated trees to plug in and place small trinkets underneath."

KT sat on the other side of the island. "I can't believe you remember that…"

"Of course…Those were some of the better days of my life…"

"We always celebrated Christmas, you know, since my parents were _horribly _American…I thought it was odd that no one else did, until I was old enough to really understand Japanese culture…I was raised a Christian, American child in Japan."

"What kept your parents there?"

"Well, that's the thing…My dad stayed in Japan with me, but my mom left to go back to live here…She works with some secret organization…brilliant people work there."

"I see where you got that…" KT pointed with her fork. "I only started celebrating Christmas with you because I thought you needed it…I wanted a reason to make you happy…"

"It definitely worked…"

"_HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!_" There was a thud in the living room, followed by a stream of cuss words. "I'm okay, thanks!"

I got off my stool and peered around the corner. TC lay on the carpet, struggling. "That's what you get for imitating a fat man."

"Shut up, Tsunayoshi, and help me up."

I walked in and placed my hand out for him to grab. "Hand up?"

He grabbed on and pulled himself up. "Thank you…" He then pulled me into a headlock. "Don't you _ever _make fun of me again…"

I laughed as he gave me a noogie to the top of my head. "I'm sorry, TC!"

"You better be…" He let me go. "I have _presents_!"

KT and Ty stood in the doorway. TC pulled colorfully wrapped boxes from his trenchcoat. "Here's one for you…" He handed me one. "And for youuu…" He handed one to Ty. "And of course, for my darling daughter…"

She smiled. "Thank you, daddy…"

"Well, go on! Open them!"

We all tore into the paper and boxes at the same time. "Oh, daddy, thank you!" She latched onto him, and in her hand was a new camera. Ty and I both looked at each other. "They're just empty boxes."

"That's because your _real _presents are in the game room…Onwards!"

We looked at each other again; regardless, we followed TC to the game room.

_I don't remember what happened after that. All I __**do **__remember is waking up on New Year's Eve and not wearing any clothing. Something tells me I really don't want to know what happened._

DECEMBER 31st, 2016

There was finally a break in the snowfall on New Year's Eve. Ty and I went to town to buy the food for the late night snacks, as well as for dinner. "What do you want to snack on?" I asked as we strolled down the street.

"We should get chips and dip…Maybe some sugary snacks, too…Or lots of soda so we have the caffeine."

"Thanks for the specifics, Ty."

"Cheetos, Ruffles and Scoops; Queso, salsa and Onion dip; Little Debbie snack cakes, and lots of Skittles."

"That's better…" I opened the door to the Dollar General and let him in first. "What about dinner?"

"Something simple like Pizza…and bread sticks."

"We could have just ordered that."

"I prefer home baked."

"Shut-up, Ty…Fine, you get the pizza and bread sticks, and I'll find the snacks and soda."

"What a plan."

We split up and I ended up in the soda isle with the rest of the snacks in a basket. "Which soda to choose…Hmm…Maybe some Mountain Dew…" I reached up, but then hesitated. "No…I drink that all the time…I want something new."

I looked around. "Dr. Pepper! That's good enough."

I grabbed a box and slid it on top of the basket. I grabbed another box just in case. "There…Hey, Ty! You ready?"

He poked his head around the corner. "Yeah, I'm ready…"

I walked out and stared at the selection of pizzas in his hands. "Hungry?"

"I figured we would be _visited _tonight…So I grabbed as many as possible…and the bread sticks."

"Yeah…I grabbed another box of soda just in case."

"We seem to be thinking on the same brain waves."

I glared at him. "You could have just said we were thinking the same…or even great minds think alike."

"Well—"

"Don't finish that sentence."

He shrugged and placed his stuff on the counter. I placed the rest of the stuff there also, and then pulled my wallet out of my pocket. The cashier rang up the goodies and bagged them, then told me the total. I swiped my card, punched in my pin and then took my receipt. "Have a great New Year's Eve…"

We walked out of the store and back down the sidewalk. I popped open the trunk of my car and placed the bags inside, all the while not paying attention to the people around. I looked up to close the trunk, and once I had, I saw a kid from the football team. Or he looked that way. He looked like the definition of barbarian: very large in size and mean. He stared at us like he was analyzing his situation. He then reached out with a massive hand and pointed at me. I looked around, hoping there was someone else around.

"You," he said in a monotone. "You're him. I've waited for you all day."

I laughed and tried to play off my inner fear. "Me? What do you want with me? I can't really play sports, you know...I'm horrible at-"

He grabbed my arm and tossed me into the street. "Tsuna!"

I looked up just as a car skidded to a stop in front of me. He stalked after me, never again laying eyes on Ty. I stood up using the car bumper for quick support. "Tsuna! Run!"

The mystery-man pushed the car away with ease, and left a dent in the hood. "I must _destroy_ you..."

"Oh no..." ~Another robot!~ "Hey, could we do this another time, maybe? I was just about to-"

I jumped to the side to evade his oncoming form. "I guess not..." ~I'm supposed to keep hidden..."

~"You have no choice."~

"I hate when you're right..."

I pulled the mittens from my pocket. ~I must look like a fool!~

~"A fool who's gonna save his life!"~

I pulled them on and changed over to Hyper Mode. The flames ignited from my hands and my forehead. There was a crowd gathering by then; the people backed up from the traffic got out of their cars. Ty trudged through the crowd to reach the front. "Tsuna!"

I crouched down and propelled myself forward with soft flames. I planted my foot on his chest, hoping it would push him back, but instead, _I _was the one pushed back. I fell flat on my back in the street. He reached down and lifted me up by my neck.

I gripped onto his hand, trying to pry it off, but it was in vain. He squeezed, and I couldn't breathe. Ty stepped forward. "Tsuna!"

He looked around and grabbed the first rock he saw. He stepped forward again and threw the rock as hard as he could at the robot's head. "Let him go!"

I felt my body hit the ground, and then Ty loomed over me. "Tsuna! Get up! Come on..."

He looked up. _I have to do something..._He noticed at that moment a series of words cross his vision; words in a language he had never seen before.

The ground shook as TC appeared. "He alive?"

Ty nodded, still perplexed. TC looked straight at the robot. "What is your business here?"

"I am going to _destroy_ my target."

"Is that all?" He looked at me. "You're close, I guess."

I coughed and sat up slowly. "Tsuna, TC is here..."

I looked to him and he was looking at me. "Welcome back to the party, Tsunayoshi...Were you planning on letting this guy walk away unharmed?"

Ty helped me to my feet. "Of course not...I'm just a bit rusty."

"Rusty? Rust is for nails and metals. You can't be rusty."

I walked forward and sighed; the power quickly returned and I was in Hyper Mode again. As quick as I had changed over, I was in action. I caught the robot off guard and slammed into him, causing him to falter backwards. From a nearby rooftop, Notics was watching. _He has his mentor to protect him...It may be difficult to defeat him without first destroying his teacher..._He disappeared to let his leader know his findings.

I wasn't going to stop. I barraged him with attack after attack, each time getting progress. TC stood back and watched. The crowd behind him and Ty was in awe. They had only seen such things in American comic books. What they were seeing was surreal. "I don't think I've ever seen him fight so hard..."

"He knows what's at stake if he doesn't..."

Ty looked at him. "Kind of like...a PTSD moment..."

"More like _it is _a PTSD moment..."

"He _has_ been having nightmares recently..."

"This is all triggering his memory...He thought he was safe...He thought you and KT were safe...but now this is all crashing on him and he has to face the reality that there will _always _be danger."

I moved back and took a few staggered breaths. ~I need to find his weak spot...Shut him down for good...~

~"Try to get the back of the neck...That's always a safe bet!"~

~What have I got to lose?~ I set up to reverse our positions by crouching low as he ran for me. I jumped at the last minute and landed on his back. I placed my hand to the back of his neck and ice formed. I jumped off before he fell to the ground. I wiped the sweat from my face as the crowd started cheering. I tried to catch my breath. Ty ran up to closely examine the robot, and TC walked up to me. "Good job, Tsunayoshi..."

I stared at the robot and stayed silent. TC grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

I cringed slightly. "Sorry..."

"What is the matter with you? Ever since this started you've gone back to your reclusive, weak self...That's not acceptable. If this is some dumb ass form of PTSD, get over it...You somehow gained this warped view of reality that because you defeated CT there will be no more danger. Wake up!" He shook me with both of his hands on both of my arms. "People die every day...The only time you consider something _dangerous _is when _you_ are directly affected. You need to open your fucking eyes...The only real danger here is that you're going to put innocent people at risk because you think you're _protecting_ them...Stop acting like a hero because you're not!"

Ty looked over and stood up. "Stop it! You're going to make it worse!"

"He's a man! Aren't you, Tsunayoshi? You've proved this before..."

I looked into his eyes. "I...I'm sorry..." Tears fell down my face. "I didn't know I was affecting people this way...I just...I thought I was actually making a difference...I know there are people out there dying all the time...I'm not trying to be selfish...Really, I'm not...I want to be able to help in any way that I can...But I'm not strong enough to do that...I'm not fast enough, and I'm not brave enough...The world is a big place, and from what I know, I only have a small part in it...I want to prove that wrong...I want to fight for _people_, not just myself..." I stepped back. "Yes, this is bringing up bad memories for me...But _you _told me that being here, I would be able to keep my friends safe...I knew that when CT was defeated that there was still going to be evil in the world...I just didn't think that in such a short time I would have to defend my friends, and what I stand for. I'm sure you understand that...That's why you came for me in the first place; why I am here doing what I am doing..."

TC crossed his arms. "I see...and you believe all that?"

I breathed out and tried to relax. "Yes."

He smiled. "Well alright then..."

"Hey! Can we go home now? I want to run some tests on this thing!"

"Yeah, I'd like to go home and celebrate New Year's Eve before it's over."

I walked to my car. "Come on, Ty!"

TC disappeared, along with the body of the robot. Ty jumped in and we went on home, passing through the dispersing crowd.

* * *

"Okay, Tsuna...I want you to meet Hank."

"Hank? Who is Hank?"

He dragged me out into the back yard. "Hank!"

From around the corner of the house, the giant robot walked out. "_Good morning..._"

"You named him Hank?"

"Yeah, I thought it was fitting..."

"_What can I do for you?_"

"Okay, I think you've lost it Ty...What did you do to him?"

"TC and I worked on this for a while...We re-wrote his programming. He's friendly...To us, anyway. Whoever was controlling him did a pretty good job of hiding the software, but I figured it out. He has a lot of primary functions; he's like a walking Google home page. Plus, he has a few combat upgrades."

"You are _actually_ crazy."

"_I must apologize for my behavior the other day...I did not realize what was the truth._"

"Thanks...I guess..."

KT opened the back door. "What are you guys doing?"

"What are we supposed to be doing?"

"School starts back tomorrow...You were supposed to be getting your supplies and all your projects done."

"They are done...Ty did them."

"I have my science fair project..." Ty said cheerfully as he looked over Hank again.

"Yep, and Ty is mine."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's cold outside...Put your robot up and come inside...This is no time to get sick..."

I hopped through the door. "I don't _want _to go back to school..."

"You do this all the time..."

"There's a reoccurring theme, then."

"Yeah, it's you. There's nothing wrong with the school."

"Lunch...Gym...and every other class in between."

"Lunch isn't a class."

"At least that's _one _thing I'm not failing."

"You better have your grades up this semester, or we're going to have an issue."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine...I have AP chemistry with Ty...He'll help me."

"What about all the others?"

"Two are electives and one is algebra. I can do algebra."

She sighed. "Okay."

I stood in the doorway that lead into the hall. She stopped in front of me, and for the first time, I noticed I was almost as tall as her. "Hey. Don't worry about me so much...I'm not going to fail. I can handle this..."

"I believe you can."

"Good..." I moved out of the way. "I promise."

* * *

I sat in my first block class for the new semester, Mr. Janus's AP-Chemistry class, and looked around while everyone around me, except for Ty, was asleep. There was a strange feeling in the air, like something was about to change. I hadn't known how right I was. An office aid walked into the class and up to me, quietly. "Mr. Balderrama needs you in his office…He needs you to be a tour guide for the new student."

"Okay…" ~New student?~

We both looked at Mr. Janus. "He won't miss me much."

We walked to the Principal's office and stepped inside. "You needed me, Sir?"

"Yes! Tsuna! I have a job for you…We have a transfer student from Cleveland. Melody Summers. She's a junior honor student. I need you to show her around for me…You may not know the school layout well, but you have a good personality and a sense of humor…It may help her warm up, you know?"

"I understand, Sir…I'll do it…Chemistry was boring, anyway…"

He stood up as the door opened. "Speaking of…Good morning, Miss Summers and welcome to Solon High School."

She looked around the room silently. "Thanks…"

~Well, she's kinda quiet…This won't be too bad…~

"This is Tsuna. He's a sophomore and he'll be showing you around, answering your questions, and bringing you to your classes."

She looked at me, and for a moment I thought she was going to ask for someone else. "Okay…"

I walked up to her. "I'll show you to your locker first…"

She followed behind me. "What was your name again?"

"Tsuna…"

"Sorry…"

"It's alright…Oh, what's your locker number?"

She pulled her schedule from her purse to look. "223…"

"Cool, mine is across the hall…Alright…Combination is…?"

"4, 18, 29…"

I went through the combination and opened it. "Okay, so I can get this to open without a combination…"

I took out my pencil and stuck it inside the lock and flipped a switch inside. I closed it and then opened it again. "See?"

"Yeah, but what about my phone and stuff?" She asked, seeing the flaw in my logic. My ego was hurt, and my face heated up slightly. "Right…"

I stuck the pencil back inside and turned it back to normal. "There…But they don't care if you have your phone on you during school."

She shrugged. "Oh well."

I closed the locker and leaned against the row of them. "So, you're an honor student?"

Her eyebrow rose. "Why do _you_ want to know?"

"Just curious…" ~Eh…I think I should back off…~

"Yeah…I am."

"Oh…My best friend is like…a _genius_. He's a science geek!"

She didn't say anything after that. I cleared my throat. "Can I see your schedule so I know where I need to take you?"

She handed it over. "Okay…First block, which is right now, you have Trig/Pre-Cal with Mrs. Tatum. Second you have Honors English with Mr. Rogers…Third block AP history with Mrs. White, and fourth AP-Chemistry with Mr. Janus…Good luck. Your classes are pretty central to this area…And I was worried I wouldn't know where to go…"

"What classes do you take?"

"Me? Uh, all regular. Except for AP-Chemistry…Which I have now."

I pointed out her classes and then reconvened at her locker. "You think you got it?"

She nodded. "I learn fast."

"There's a thirty minute study hall type thing in between second and third block…"

"When is lunch?"

"Third block…But my friends and I get lunch from Subway and eat during the study period…" I smiled slightly. "Follow me…I want to show you to my _secret layer_..."

I walked down the hall to a blue door with an old Janitor's Closet tag. "This is what you have to do…You need to knock three times and then there will be three knocks back. When a voice comes through the door asking you for a password, you'll say 'irrelevant' and then you'll be let in."

"Okay, then…"

"Meet me here after second block…Oh, and we can get you something too, if you'd like…"

"No, I'm okay…I bring my lunch."

"Oh, okay…" I turned to her. "Uh, well…I've showed you as much as I can…If you have any other questions, I'll be around…But I-uh-have to return to the boring Chemistry class…"

She smiles slightly for the first time I had seen. "Thanks...I guess I'll see you after second block."

I nodded. "Right..."

We walked off in separate directions. ~So far so good...She hasn't tried to kill me yet...~

I passed by the principal's office. "Tsuna!"

I backed up and looked in. "Yes, Sir?"

"Where are you headed for lunch today?"

"Probably McDonald's...Do you want something?"

"Just something off the Dollar Menu, nothing fancy."

"I'll let TC know..."

"Thanks, my boy!"

I walked back to class with a bit of a satisfactory step.

* * *

"Who's the new student?"

"Her name is Melody..."

He looked around. "Anything..._strange_?"

"No...Not that I could tell."

"Maybe it's over."

"I would hope so."

I zoned out as the lecture went on. I had my pencil in my hand, and I twirled it around my fingers. The bell rang just before I could nod off into a boredom induced nap. I yawned and got up to stretch. "Ty, could you make me an invisibility cloak like in Harry Potter so I don't have to take PE?"

"No."

"What a great friend you are."

"Sorry...You need the physical education credit to pass."

"Blah, blah, blah was all I heard just now."

"You're ridiculous."

"Says you."

We grabbed our stuff and walked out into the loud and crowded hall way. I threw my stuff into my locker and shut it. "I am going to smell after second block...I'm glad there's a study hall after."

"You could shower."

"Exactly."

We walked until he broke off to go on to his class. I pushed open the door to the gym and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't hot and smelly. I climbed the bleachers and sat, waiting for the coach to give us the information we needed. The second bell rang and everyone quieted down as the coach, a very scary looking military man, held up his clip board. My face paled. ~Oh man…There is no slack going to be given.~

"Good morning…I am Chief Bridges, and I am the new assistant coach of the football team. I know how you kids are, so let's keep it so I don't know you as a trouble maker, or I _will _straighten you out. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

In unison: "Yes, Sir!"

"Good. I'm going to do roll-call. Last name: Abernathy, Ardmore, Beery…"

They all raised their hands; they didn't dare speak. The trend went on for the rest of the class, as well. "Benton, Cat, Claire…" He looked around. "Ashley Claire? Linebacker of the football team and she's late for gym?"

"I'm here, Coach!" She ran in and slid to a stop beside him. "I had to—"

"Whatever you _needed_ to do is none of my business, just go find a seat."

"Yes, Sir…" She looked up and saw where I was sitting and climbed up.

"Hey," she said as he continued to call roll.

"Hey."

"I hate him…Ever since he became coach, he's gotten such an attitude."

"I thought that was normal for him."

She shook her head and crossed her arms. "Maybe it is, he just never showed this side."

I raised my hand as he called out my last name and went on. "So, why are you in here? You're a _football_ player; don't you already have your PE credit?"

"Yeah, but I like PE. I could run around all day."

Once Chief Bridges had gotten through our names he explained to us what we needed to know. "There's a twenty dollar fee for uniforms if you cannot supply your own black shorts and white t-shirt. There cannot be any logos, pictures; nothing on the shirts or the shorts. In here we will test on your physical aptitude. Starting next week, we will do the first test, which consists of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, a timed two-mile run, and separate timed laps…Part one, the first three I mentioned, will be Tuesday, and the laps will be Thursday. Be prepared. Today you will have time to _socialize _while I deal with a couple of issues with the other coaches. Feel free to grab any of the game equipment in the closet…"

All the students jumped off the bleachers as he left. Ashley and I walked down slowly. "Well that wasn't _so _bad of him."

"We'll be lucky if this happens all semester long."

"Football doesn't start until the fall though."

"He likes to stick his nose in other sports…Football training starts in April."

"Ooh, that sucks."

"Yeah, it does…"

I walked into the closet and grabbed a basketball. "Why don't you play any sports?"

I tossed her the ball and walked out. "I'm athletically inept."

"Yeah right…" She tossed the ball back. "You're just saying that."

"No, it's true…" I stood in front of the only unused basketball hoop. "Watch…"

I dribbled the ball twice and then set up to throw it. As soon as it left my hand I knew what it would do. It hit the backboard and bounced back just as hard as I had thrown it. I ducked as it flew over my head. "See?"

She laughed as she ran after it and tossed it back. "That was only _mildly _horrible."

"Oh no, go ahead…Tell me how bad it was. Don't baby me, I can handle the truth."

"Okay, so it was bad…But with a little work, you could get better."

"You're beginning to sound like every teacher I've _ever had_."

She laughed again, grabbed the ball from me, and tossed it into the hoop. "There! _That's _pure athleticism."

She shoved the ball into my hands and grinned. "Shut-up and try again, you doof."

"A doof? What's a doof?"

"_You_; now throw the ball."

I dribbled and threw again, _missing_ again. I looked at her. "Miss, please stand back…I am _highly_ dangerous."

"I can't tell if you're hitting on me, or you're actually this weird."

"I have no game on the court, nor in the field of love…Trust me."

She stole the ball and ran around to my other side. "So, then, you're just weird?"

"Pretty much…" I swatted at the ball, but she moved before I could touch it. "Whoa, okay then…"

She started to dribble. "How about a little one-on-one, hm? There's no penalty for being god awful."

"That's very thoughtful…Why not?"

"Well…come at me, then!" She stood in place and dribbled. "Get it away from me."

I lunged for the ball and ended up sliding across the floor on my back. She giggled and held her hand out. I grabbed it and got up. "Skert!"

I got the ball and ran with it. "Hey! That's not cool."

I stopped, turned around and tossed the ball at the hoop from the half court line. It hit the rim, rolled, and then fell in. She grabbed the ball as it bounced to her and looked at me. "How did you do that?"

I walked back over. "I just threw it."

She looked around and grabbed my arm. She dragged me into the equipment closet. "I saw what happened in town the other day…"

"What?"

"Don't ask me what, you _know _what!"

"Wait, you saw _that_…Crap!" I facepalmed and bowed my head slightly. "I knew this was going to happen…"

"Are you like…an alien or something?"

"No…I'm not an alien…I'm 100% human…I just…have special abilities."

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No, of course not…What would I gain from lying to you?"

"I don't know…The chance to keep your identity."

"I'm pure human…I promise."

"I won't tell anyone…I don't think anyone else here saw…They were all either drunk or high at the New Year's Eve party."

"Cool…That would be nice if you didn't tell anyone…I wasn't even supposed to use any of my powers…My mentor, under different circumstances, would literally _kill me_."

"I'll keep quiet; I promise…I just want to know one more thing…Why are you here? Why Solon?"

"I honestly don't have the answer…I didn't choose…"

"Where'd you come from? You're definitely not American, that much I can tell."

"Wow, it's _that_ obvious? Okay. I came from Japan."

She walked out of the closet. "So, you can actually play basketball?"

"Sure, if I really wanted to."

"Well, show me that you can." She threw the ball at me. "Make ten in a row from the half court line."

I took a deep breath and walked to the line. "Okay…I can try."

I tapped into my power slightly, making myself become super focused. I dribbled and then took the shot. "One!" she called. She tossed it back. I set up and repeated the process two more times. "Seven more!"

A group of guys behind me took notice and started to watch. I made the shot again. They signaled to their other buddies and made them watch. "That's four," one whispered. "I can't even make one…"

By the seventh I had the entire gym watching. "That's seven!"

I set up for the eighth and Colonel Bridges walked back in. He noticed it was quiet and looked to the source. I made the eighth shot. "Eight!"

He leaned against the door and watched. I shot again and made the ninth. "One more to go!"

"This is crazy!"

I dribbled the ball a couple of time before I shot for the tenth, and final, time. The class went crazy as the ball rolled into the hoop, also for the tenth, and final, time. Ashley smiled, and no one else in the gym would understand why. No one but me.

* * *

I sat in our makeshift break room snacking on McDonald's fries. "Ten in a row…That's apparently a school record…"

"Yeah, but you cheated."

I chewed and swallowed. "Yeah…so? It's not like they know that. Plus, I wasn't doing it for the record…Ashley told me to throw ten, so I threw ten."

TC kicked the back of my chair from the horribly mangled couch. "Shut up! I'm trying to sleep…"

"I am so sorry Sleeping Beauty…I will not disturb you again."

He grumbled and then rolled over. "Fucking teenagers…"

I turned a bit. "Why are you even here? I thought you had things to do."

"My ex-wife's a bitch…"

Outside the door, Melody paced back and forth contemplating whether to knock on the door or not. _What am I even doing over here? He's a stranger that just so happens to have a hideout…He could be a serial rapist or killer or something…_She stopped pacing. _What am I saying?_ She looked at the door again and then stepped up close to knock three times. I looked up. "Oh, company." I jumped up and set my shake on the table. "Straighten up a bit…"

"Who did you invite this time?"

"The new kid…Chill out."

TC rolled over to look at the door. "I heard she's cute."

"Please act right, TC…It's not every day we can get someone to like us _before _she's dragged into another group."

"And what group are we?"

"The Outsiders."

"That's not funny."

"STAY GOLDEN PONYBOY!" TC called as he flailed out.

I stepped up to the door and knocked three times back. "What's the password?"

TC sat up. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Shut-up, TC."

"_Irrelevant_."

"Oh you son of a—" he fell back onto the couch.

I opened the door. "Welcome."

She stepped inside, her lunch tote tight in her grip. "It's a real paradise alright."

I closed the door behind her. "I never said it was nice."

"That's right…" She stopped when she got into the middle of the room. I walked around her and pulled a folding chair off the wall and set it out for her. "Go ahead and sit…These are my friends…Ty, I told you about earlier…"

"Hi…" he said. "We have AP-history together."

"Yeah…hey."

"And _that _over there is TC…"

"Tsuna, I _swear _I am going to shoot you in the face one day…I told you I was trying to sleep…"

She sat and didn't really change any expressions. "So…what do you guys _do _in here?"

"We just hang out…All groups in the school have a place they go during study hall. This just so happens to be ours…"

"And…what group would that be?"

"The Outsiders."

"STAY GOLDEN!" TC threw a hand up and then pulled it back down as he fell back into sleep. She looked at me and had a sort of "uh-huh" look on her face. "Right."

"We don't have a group. We're just the outcasts of the school that don't really belong to any one of the already established hierarchies."

"That's understandable…"

I sat down and grabbed my shake. "Oh, go ahead Ty, make it much more complicated."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry he dragged you here."

"Holy crap, is this Break-the-Ego-of-Tsuna Day?"

TC got up and stood behind me, clasped his hand over my mouth, and stayed there. "Why won't you shut-up?!"

"Mphmphff."

"I don't speak idiot!"

Melody was a bit amused. She pulled a package of crackers out of her bag. "I think I like it in here. It's quiet," she said and grinned.

"Mphfff!"

"I agree."

I glared at Ty. "MFFFPHA!"

Study hall ended and we walked out into the hall. "That was oddly entertaining…"

I wiped my mouth obsessively. "That was really nasty."

"You wouldn't shut-up…"

"He didn't have to hold his sweaty hand over my mouth, though."

She shrugged. "I guess that's what you get."

I stopped beside her locker. "So, do you like it here?"

"I only moved from Cleveland…It's not really anything different. Also, I've only been in school for a couple of hours."

"There's a lot you can take from this school in a couple of hours…"

"Okay, well, sure…But…"

I chuckled and walked across the hall to my locker. Before I could open it, though, she placed her hand on the door. "You initiated a challenge."

"What challenge?"

"_You _didn't hear me out."

"I have no fighting words."

She moved her hand. "Thanks for your help earlier…I hadn't expected it to be that easy."

"No problem…" I grabbed my algebra binder. "I'm always happy to help upper classmen."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm only a year ahead of you."

"You're still an upper classman."

"Must you argue everything?"

"No, but you're keeping the conversation going."

"There you go again!" She turned around and started to walk to her next class. I caught up quickly. "Same time tomorrow?"

She stopped in the door. "Sure…It's not like I'll have anything better to do…"

"That stings, Melody…That _really_ hurts!" I called as she walked inside.

* * *

EXTRA:

"I can't believe I'm back..." KT stood outside the music store she had loved for so long. Inside was the same boy she had crushed on years before. I patted her shoulder in assurance. "You go in there, and put your plan into motion. Trust me; if you are able to seduce me, you are definitely able to get him."

She glared at me. I sidestepped. "It's true..."

She sighed. "After all these years." She walked into the store, and up to the counter. "Hey, Tairā."

He turned from the computer and looked at her. "K-KT? Whoa, I heard you were...dead."

"Mmm...No. Where's Litritha?"

"She's out running some errands..."

KT sat on the counter. "You know...you haven't changed much..." She leaned over and got her face closer to his. "Not much at all..."

He swallowed hard, trying to restrain himself from peering down her very revealing shirt. "Y-yeah? You've changed...a whole lot..."

"Really?" She moved closer. "How so?"

I was watching from the window, trying to catch my breath from my laughter. I heard a car pull up, and I turned. "Oh, shit..." Out of the car stepped Litritha, and a little girl of about 6 years old. "Hey!" I walked over to the car. "You must be Litritha."

"Yeah...who are you, and what do you want?"

"Oh, me? I'm just your average, every day hero."

"You're just an average, every day waste of my time...run off, boy...I'm not interested." She pushed me away and walked towards the door.

"But I'm a magician! Let me show you a trick."

The little girl's eyes lit up. "Please, mama..."

She rolled her eyes. "He's not a magician...he's just saying he is."

I smirked, and my eyes lit up like flames. "Nonsense! Watch, as I, _Hero the Amazing_, create a flame out of nothing. Observe, I have no matches, lighters, gasoline, anything at all that is flammable. But, with just a snap of my fingers..." I gave a snap. "I create a flame." My pointer finger had a flame at the end of it. "Tada!"

The girl clapped. "Did you see that, mama? He _**is**_ a magician."

"He's wasting my time...let's go."

She walked into the store. She stopped mid-step, and dropped everything. "What is going on here?"

KT was on his lap, making out with him. She turned and looked. "It's not what it looks like!" Tairā exclaimed. "Actually...it is, but I can explain!"

KT got up, and walked up to her with a smirk. The little girl stood in the doorway. "Mama...what's going on..."

"Daddy was just...checking a bump on Kera-Taka's neck..."

I fell to the ground laughing outside. KT walked to the door. "Bye, Tairā..." She walked out. "Get up, Tsuna...let's go."

I got off the ground and jumped in the car. "See, I told you..."

She hit me in the arm. "Shut up."

I snickered. "Hey, I stalled for you..."

"Yes, Mr. Hero the Amazing...I know."

"It worked...I let you make out AND let it progress."

"Just shut up and I'll transport us home..."

_Let it be known that after that, she never complained about the evil Litritha again…She got her revenge, just as she said she would. That's what I don't understand about KT, she's really attractive and EXTREMELY deadly…not to mention moody. But put it together, and it makes sense that she came from TC and Gaia._

* * *

A/N: Very good chapter, if I don't say so myself. Thank you for all the new readers! I really enjoy your support.


	7. Interlude

A/N: So, I've realized that there are many of you that are reading _this _story probably didn't read the first part of it, _In the Life of Friends,_ so you're lacking some vital information (maybe, I can't really tell if I've actually explained it well enough in my writing..._I _know what's going on. You may not.) I'm writing this very quick interlude for those of you that _haven't _read the first part (but if you still want to, you should! There's a bit more information than I'm giving you here.) For now, I'm going to explain what the HELL happened in book one, the short version. (Written in Tsuna's POV, of course!)

* * *

BOOK ONE, THE SHORT VERSION

For those of you reading this, congrats! You're about to embark on the wild train wreck that is my life, that is, since I met TC. I was twelve when this all began. Innocent, bullied and weak, (DON'T WORRY, THIS'LL BE SHORT AND SWEET.) That's where the train wreck starts, or more like a plane crash. No, really. I was hit by a plane. Sounds impossible to survive, right? As you know, I'm more than "human", but not so much "god" as TC. In fact, it was the plane crash that brought me to the gates of heaven to meet my other half, Tsune, and gain the powers I use today. Why a plane? No one but TC can answer that.

So it took me about a month to really recover, in which I met TC. Together, we _unrobbed _a bank (yes, it's possible), and actually, sort of, became friends. I also met Habira, the first girl I ever loved. Opposite of her brother Kyouya, she was sweet and kind and really shy. She celebrated my 13th birthday with KT and I. I became familiar with TC's entire family that day, including his _evil _twin brother CT, who I was "destined" to defeat. Not very pleasant for a birthday, but, he did give me a present. I keep Jim the Rock stashed away at the bottom of my closet. For _safe _keeping.

During that recovery month, I also formed a special bond with my other half; something no one else is capable of. I realize that all he wanted to do was keep me out of trouble, which I always ended up walking into.

After the month, I returned back to school, and TC came with me. He protected me from my bully Ty, and _seduced_ every twelve and thirteen year old girl in my class. I learned that the gods, TC's siblings, were watching my every move. I went to my first Halloween party at the school, shot someone, and learned my first lesson in training. Well, Tsune did the fighting, but I could see! Plus, my favorite soda turned out to be the only thing that could activate my powers! Sweet! I started physical training after that. I found out that there are nine people sworn to protect me, KT included. She was one of the first, actually. Gokudera, a man KT and I met at the zoo when we were little, was (and still is) number IX (9), my _right hand man_. I am X (10).

Now, remember I said Tsune tried to get me out of trouble? Yeah. So, walk into number one was at Taco Bell where TC was hosting his annual "get together of the gods," which _actually _turned out to be a set up to capture and kill me. CT contracted the help of Izaya Orihara (we were in Ikebukuro) and we had Shizuo Heiwajima on our side. A big battle ensued between the good and the bad, and I learned a new trick! The X-Burner. I got my gloves then, too!

Another learning experience would be Thanksgiving. CT _didn't _try to kill me, and everyone was there, including KT's mother, who I thought was dead. Who knew? And with TC evidently being her father...there were some...sparks. Anyway, we were all thrown into the fastest drinking contest _ever_ and then got woken up in the early morning hours to go shopping. I met Chrome, a shy girl that turned out to be one of my guardians, number VIII (8) to be exact. Kyouya, also: number V (5). I got to know our attributes: Tsune and I are Sky, Chrome is Mist, Kyouya is Cloud, KT is Nature, and Gokudera is Storm. My father turned out to be an original Guardian, and he died to protect me. Tsune's family, his wife and kids, did also. We met the _original_ Ten, and then woke up again with a mutual understanding.

Things were pretty quiet after that. Ty and I became friends, I met the last of my Guardians: Yamamoto Takeshi (Rain; II), Ryohei Sasagawa (Sun; III), Lambo (Thunder; VI), Enma Kozato (Earth; IV), and Mika Umeko (Moon; VII). I hung out with Tsune and his friend Mel for a few days in Cielo, learned a few things about my powers. There were no real accidents until TC, Ty, Kyouya, and I started touring the world, so I could learn in new environments. I learned to free fall off of Mount Everest, freely fall off of the Eiffel Tower, and to never use any of TC's things if they smelled, looked, or said anything remotely close to "bubblegum." In Paris, TC had secretly planned an attack on us so we could all get involved, but it turned bad when CT found a way to take over my mind and body. I had never been so cold in my life. TC told me he was proud of me that day.

I worked hard to train the best I could. That is, until I had enough of his put downs and I went off on him. Landed a punch at his jaw and just left. I realized he was right and, though, and I apologized and promised to work hard. I learned a special move, Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised, in which I could absorb energy and use it as my own, and also a game changing move that would make victory possible, as long as I hadn't died before I could use it. Ty engineered pills I could use to change over faster. Everything was set and ready for the day the world would end.

That day came, and it seemed as if the entire world stood still. We fought ground and air, TC and I against CT. On the ground, my Guardians and Tsune fought zombie like people who were overshadowed by CT's hate. We won the battle. I was at the brink of death, but TC let me live, saying, "It's not your time, not yet."

I woke up here, in Solon, Ohio, USA, with a new life, a new love, and the threat of an even _bigger _plot to destroy humanity as we know it.

Seems legit, right?


End file.
